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CCMRIGHT DEPOSIT: 



Photographic Copies of 
Written Messages 

from 

The Spirit World 



More than one hundred written communications 
from those who dwell in spirit life, including messages 

from 
HENRY WARD BEECHER JAMES BRECK PERKINS 

ROBERT G. INGERSOLL JAMES A. GARFIELD 

SUSAN B. ANTHONY ELBERT HUBBARD 

GEORGE RAINES ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

FRANKLIN BURR ERNEST W. HUFFCUT 

and many others 

With commentaries concerning conditions which 
obtain in spirit life based upon facts gathered from 
these messages and from many other sources. 



Copyrighted 1918 

BY 

WILLIAM H. BURR 



The Ayoxdale Press 

Publishers 
Rochester, N. Y. 



'£. 



JUN 17 1918 

©CI.A5U1526 



Foreword 

For many years I was an agnostic. As such I did 
not deny nor yet believe in a future life. The evidences 
commonly accepted were not satisfactory to me. I 
wandered through paths of unrest, earnestly desiring 
to know the truth. Years of investigation have changed 
my opinions. I am no longer an agnostic. Nothing 
could now change my definite and certain belief in the 
immortality of the soul of man and the belief that 
spirits can and do communicate with the living. These 
proofs have come from many sources and are of many 
kinds. In this book I offer some of these evidences 
for the benefit of others. I address myself only to those 
who are earnestly searching for truth, whose minds are 
ready to receive it. 

The following lines of Bulwer Lytton's, written 
nearly one hundred years ago, will convey my belief 
today : 

There is no death; the stars go down 
To rise upon some fairer shore; 
And bright in Heaven's jeweled crown, 
They shine forever more. 

There is no death; the dust we tread 
Shall change beneath the summer showers, 
To golden grain or mellow fruit 
Or rainbow-tinted flowers. 

There is no death; the leaves may fall 
And flowers may fade and pass away. 
They only wait through wintry hours, 
The coining of the May. 

There is no death; an angel form 
Walks o'er the earth with silent tread; 
He tears our best loved things away 
And we then call them dead. 



Born unto that undying life, 
They leave us, but to come again; 
With joy we welcome them the same, 
Except their sin and pain. 

And ever near us, though unseen, 
The dear immortal spirits tread, 
For all the boundless universe 
Is Life. — There are no dead. 

Today on the battlefields of Europe, millions upon 
millions of my fellow-men are fighting, bleeding, suffer- 
ing, and dying. Death stares them in the face on every 
hand, and the uncertainty of eternity stretches out 
before them like a great unknown and unexplored 
country to which all have gone or must go, a country lying 
just beyond the dark shadows of despair. In millions 
upon millions of homes all over this heart-sick world 
of ours, anxious hearts are beating, anxious ears are 
listening, and anxious eyes are watching for some 
message from loved ones who have crossed the river. 
Not only for those who seek messages from the spirits 
of their loved ones who dwell in spirit life, but for 
those who may desire knowledge of conditions which 
await them when they must cross the great divide, has 
this book been written. 

It is of great importance that all should understand 
the conditions which await them in spirit life. With 
knowledge of the Universal laws of spiritual growth 
and with obedience thereto, he who enters the door 
into new and changed conditions is better prepared to 
start along the unerring road of eternal progress. He 
who enters in ignorance, vice and depravity has remorse, 
repentance and regeneration before him. 

It is of infinite importance to mankind that he 
have knowledge of his relation to the infinite universe 
which surrounds him. Far too long have we looked to 
theology for the source of all authentic knowledge con- 
cerning our spiritual welfare. Far too long have we 
remained ignorant of the laws of real spiritual growth 



and development. We have searched through the 
unknown fields of mystery for facts of nature that are 
all around us. We have repeated prayers and followed 
rituals until their spiritual meaning has become lost 
in mystery. 

The contents of this volume will be of interest to 
some. Others will through incredulous doubting fail 
to grasp the great lesson which the facts contained are 
intended to convey. No one can expect to understand 
all of the mysteries of the unseen world about us. No 
one can tell the source of life, its beginning, nor its end. 
No one can tell the source of the force of gravity, the 
cause of the electric current, the revolution of the 
planets in their course, the coming and going of the 
seasons, why one rose is red, another pink, or another 
white. These mysteries lie hidden in the vast realm 
of the unseen world all around us. We have eyes, but 
we see not, and ears but we hear not, for our physical 
bodies and the things of the spirit belong to a different 
manifestation of nature. 

Proceed then to a consideration of the facts stated 
herein with at least a slight comprehension of the 
inherent limitations which obscure from your under- 
standing the laws of spirit manifestations. 

That there is a world of spirit all around us in 
which immortal beings dwell, no one of ordinary intel- 
ligence will today deny. Science has proved it, the 
Bible affirms it, and countless evidence and experiences 
in the lives of millions have proved it. I shall not then 
spend any time in a compilation of scientific data to 
prove that which should be known to all. 

I shall call your special attention to one phase of 
the many manifestations from those who come back 
to us, from our friends who have crossed the river 
before us, who still remember events and loves of 
earth life. I desire to offer this for consideration, 
because I believe it to be of a most satisfactory and 
convincing nature. It is convincing because the mes- 
sages are characteristic of those who wrote them. It 



is satisfactory because from the character of messages 
which come to us, we learn that it is not distance but 
conditions which make these manifestations difficult, 
that there is no hell, that all is peace and happiness in 
the life of spirit for those who have lived a life in 
harmony with spiritual growth and development. It is 
proof because we are convinced that these communica- 
tions could not be produced in any other way. They 
are at the same time proof of immortality and of 
spirit return. 

With these preliminary remarks, I shall proceed 
to discuss that particular phase of spirit manifestation 
and communication known as slate writing. 

This phenomenon I regard as most convincing 
because it is all produced under circumstances and con- 
ditions which preclude the possibility of any fraud or 
deception, or the intervention of any human agency. 

By examination of the pictures hereinafter set 
forth, you will see 39 different exhibits, designated 
as Plates. You will find more than one hundred mes- 
sages. Some of these writings were obtained at 
Washington, D. C, some at Buffalo, N. Y., some at 
Rochester, N. Y., and some at Lilydale, N. Y. The 
first were obtained November, 1908, and the last ob- 
tained October, 1917. 

This phenomenon is produced in the presence of 
the medium, and in the bright sunlight, the brighter 
the better. The process is this. The slates are 
thoroughly washed and dried. A very small piece of 
pencil is placed between two slates, a string is tied 
around them, and they are laid on the table in full 
view in the brightest light obtainable. Sometimes 
it requires a few minutes to obtain results, sometimes 
an hour or more. While the writing is being produced, 
the medium requests the observer to hold the slates in 
his hands, while he himself holds the other side; the 
sound of the writing is clearly audible and the vibration 
of the slates can be felt. Thus you sit and witness, in 
the bright sunlight, this marvelous manifestation of 



nature. You hear the spirit hands writing with in- 
credible rapidity; you open the slates and there you 
find written in their own handwriting, characteristic 
messages from those whom you had long since believed 
dead. 

Just a word about what is meant by the word 
"medium" may be useful to those who do not know. 
It is a well established theory that ours is a vibratory 
universe; that every living thing takes its place accord- 
ing to the plane of vibration to which by nature's laws 
it belongs. Wireless telegraphy demonstrated this 
principle of nature, while the vibrating strings of the 
violin and the piano bring to us audible proof that 
every sound of harmony or inharmony proceeds from 
natural laws of vibration. If you place your ear 
against the telephone wire without an instrument cap- 
able of receiving and converting to audible sounds the 
conditions and vibrations which pass along the wire, 
you will hear nothing of a conversation which may be 
taking place and which is being transmitted at that 
very instant. If you place to your ear, an instrument 
so attuned and adjusted as to gather audible vibrations 
you may hear and know the voice of a friend from New 
York to San Francisco. What the receiver of the tele- 
phone or of the wireless telegraph instrument is to the 
vibrations which they are capable of receiving, so is 
the medium, who is capable of transmitting, from the 
realm of spirit to the realm of the physical, forces and 
vibrations that which we in the physical body can 
understand through our physical senses. 

The question is often asked, why is it necessary to 
be in the presence of a medium to obtain these results. 
W 7 hy cannot these results be obtained in the presence 
of one as well as another? This question is often 
asked by those who have never given the matter 
serious thought. 

The answ T er is obvious. If you desire to hear the 
enchanting strains of Mozart's music, you would not 
enter the presence of a plumber and request him to 



pound a tin pan. If you wish expert and special 
instruction concerning any question, you seek the 
advice of those whose mind or body is trained or 
qualified to render it. For the same reason you can- 
not obtain harmony and mufeic from any haphazard 
collection of boards, strings, keys, etc., simply because 
you call it a piano or a violin. For the same reason 
you cannot receive a telephone communication through 
any hollow stick, simply because it resembles a 
telephone receiver. 

Musicians, artists, poets, mediums and all others 
with special qualifications are born with latent mental, 
physical or spiritual powers. A law of nature places us 
all within a certain sphere thereof and upon a certain 
plane. The medium is one who by nature's law is 
capable of hearing, through special gifts, sound vibra- 
tions not audible to the physical ear, and of seeing 
through spiritual gift, things not seen by the physical 
eye. Mediums are the transmitters between the 
physical and the spirit world. They are endowed with 
natural gifts not possessed by most. Under Plate 14 
hereinafter shown, this question is more fully discussed. 

With these preliminary remarks proceed to a con- 
sideration of the evidences hereinafter offered for your 
consideration. 

This you must do with a mind free from prejudice, 
with a mind open to impartially consider and weigh 
facts presented. 

So necessary it is for all to eradicate prejudice from 
the mind before considering these questions that I 
advise all who find their mind clouded by this unfor- 
tunate malady to lay aside any consideration of this 
question until they have outgrown this mental and 
spiritual short-coming. 

Permit me to add that all slates and documents, 
plates of which are hereinafter shown, are carefully 
preserved and in my possession. 

Rochester, N. Y. 
April, 1918 



Plate 1 

The message contained in Plate 1 bears the sig- 
nature of my only brother, Dr. Franklin Burr, who was 
born in Lindley, N. Y., January 5, 1864, graduated 
from the Buffalo Medical College in 1890, and practiced 
medicine at Corning, N. Y., until failing health com- 
pelled him to go to Colorado, where he died at Greeley, 
August 28, 1898. His picture, with signature written 
in 1892, is shown on the following page. 

This is the first manifestation of the phenomenon 
which I had ever witnessed. It was obtained by me at 
Rochester, N. Y., November, 1908, in the following 
manner: The sun was shining through the window 
under which I sat at one side of the table about four 
feet square. The slates, upon which this and other 
messages were received, were purchased at a book- 
store by me, carefully examined, washed and marked 
by me. When I entered the presence of the medium, I 
was instructed to take a seat at the opposite side of the 
table described. He asked whether I had brought 
slates. Upon being informed that I had, he handed 
me an infinitesimal piece of slate pencil, told me to put 
this between the slates, tie a string around them and 
lay them upon the table. This I did. We then sat 
conversing, perhaps thirty minutes. In the meantime 
I kept close watch of every move, for I heard from the 
so-called investigators all about how these things were 
done, and I wanted to be certain that no trickery was 
practiced upon me. To my astonishment within a 
few minutes, without an instant's notice, the medium 
told me to take up one pair of slates then lying on the 
table; this I did. While I held them in my own hands, 
upon the slates which I had purchased, washed, ex- 
amined, prepared and marked, I felt the vibration, 
heard the lightning rapidity of writing, the crossing 
of t's, dotting of i's and the punctuation. This same 




Plate 1 



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II 11 


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Plate 1-A 



process was gone through until the whole six plates, 
three pair, were written in full. Sixteen communi- 
cations in all were written upon them. Upon these 
I found the message signed in the handwriting of those 
who had many years before passed into eternity. All 
other slate communications were received under sub- 
stantially the same conditions as above described. 

Plates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are grouped so that the 
signatures of Frank Burr may be easily compared. I 
have no later signature of his than that easily shown in 
Plate la, but I know it as well as I know my own. Com- 
parison of the first five exhibits with signatures shown, 
proves beyond a question of doubt that all are the same. 
His signature on his autograph photo shown speaks 
its own message. 

Plate 1 was obtained in 1908, Plate % in 1909, 
Plate 3 in 1911, Plate 4 in 1913, Plate 5 in 1916. Every 
one bears the mute, yet undeniable proof of genuineness 
and individuality. 

Plate 2 

This exhibit was obtained by me at Washington, 
D. C, in February, 1909. At that time I was on my 
way to Fort Monroe via Richmond, Va., to witness the 
return of the American Fleet from its trip around the 
world. At the end of this message, you will find these 
words. "I am going on with you." And in another 
message from Aunt Ella Chase in Exhibit 18, you will 
find these words: "I am often anxious to take a trip, 
and so I think I will go with you this time." 

This exhibit is especially interesting because of the 
information it contains: 

"Will, do not say a word! Don't tell people I 
was here. They will regard you as crazy. The human 
mind must be developed by degrees to a realization and 
comprehension of this stupendous revelation. I am 
not dead and never was. The physical body is not 
essential to the life of a spirit, and I know this. I am 
going on with you. — Brother Frank Burr." 

10 




11 



Plate 2 



No truer statement of fact could have been made. 
Even the angels of heaven know of the almost impene- 
trable ignorance and prejudice which retard the 
progress of knowledge concerning these wonderful 
truths of nature. All religions of the world have 
taught them; scientists have demonstrated them, and 
events and experiences in the lives of millions have 
borne evidence of them. And yet, the finger of ridicule, 
the only weapon of prejudice and ignorance, is fre- 
quently pointed at these marvelous demonstrations in 
which the world should be vitally interested. The 
real truth is found in these words: "The human mind 
must be developed by degrees to a realization and com- 
prehension of these stupendous revelations." 

It is a scientific fact that all intellectual progress is 
"by degrees." No mind can accept a fact of this 
nature until it is developed and ready. In behalf of 
truth and for the benefit of the scientific world, and for 
the enlightenment of mankind, I am willing to disregard 
this warning: "They will regard you as crazy." 

I would rather be a beggar at the feet of truth and 
knowledge, than a king on the throne of ignorance and 
prejudice. Only cowards and hypocrites sell their souls 
for financial gain, social position or the approval of men. 
If my fellow man may stand by my grave and say of 
me, that I fearlessly spoke of the truth as I understood 
it, I shall feel that I have not lived in vain. Columbus 
was ridiculed, Fulton and his steamboat on the Hud- 
son River were jeered, while Copernicus paid the 
penalty with his life for declaring the now accepted 
theory that the sun is the center of the solar system. 
Ignorance and prejudice always have been and always 
will be the millstones around the neck of progress. I 
defy it, and the opinions of all who are under its 
unholy dominion. 

The name, Jacob Mumbach, Plate 2, is apparently 
that of the father of a young lady who had for years 
been employed as a stenographer in my office. He 

12 



died in 1887. The reference, "remember me to Emma," 
I assume refers to her: that is her name. I never 
saw or knew Jacob Mumbach. 

Plate 3 

I refer to this message, signed Frank Burr. 
This was obtained at Buffalo, in 1911. There is nothing 
especially noteworthy, except that it is absolutely 
characteristic. "Hello Will. How in thunder did you 
know I would drop in on you here?" That expression 
is characteristic. The signature is like that obtained 
four years before, and the one, three or four years 
after. 

The message signed "V. R. Hilton, ' ' was from my 
grandfather — my mother's father. I never saw him. 
He died in 1864 at Corning, N. Y. His message may 
be found on other plates. I do not know to what he 
refers, when he says: "I shall not be among the 
missing when your friends form a division in any hour 
of your need." I assume it to be a general assurance 
of his interest in me. The wording is so clear that no 
translation is necessary. 

The message signed "Ida Carey," I believe is from 
my sister, who passed to spirit life in 1888. Note the 
exquisitely formed outlines of the forget-me-not. The 
message reads as follows: 

"I send you a loving greeting, and you must always 
tell Winnie that I came on this occasion and spoke of 
her. I am getting on beautifully. Ida Carey." 
Winnie is the childhood name of an acquaintance, 
whose correct name is Winifred. 

The third message signed "George Raines" is 
of great importance personally, because it is an abso- 
lutely clear answer to the following question, asked by 
me. Question: "Have you any message for your 
brother Thomas?" Answer: "Please tell Thomas to 
interest himself in so vital a truth as this." 

13 



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Plate 3 



14 



George Raines, for many years the leading 
lawyer in Western New York, an ex-district attorney 
of Monroe County, and an ex-state senator, died in 
Rochester, N. Y., November 25, 1908. I was asso- 
ciated with him in business, and know his signature. 
The above is genuine. "Thomas," his brother, still 
lives at Rochester, was at one time treasurer of the 
State of New York, and has for many years been a 
prominent lawyer and a respected citizen. Another 
brother was the late Senator John Raines, author of 
the famous Raines laws of New York State. 



Plate 4 

This plate was obtained in 1913. Lilydale, where 
this communication was received, is located in a beauti- 
ful forest. The reference in the message from my 
brother Frank, "I observe that you have taken to the 
woods at last," I assume refers to the location in 
which I was at the time the message was obtained. 
The signature, "Brother Frank Burr," speaks its own 
message. 

The message signed "Aunt Elizabeth Chase," is 
especially interesting. This message reads as follows: 

"I don't know just how I got up here in the woods, 
but I suppose it is all right to be here. You are not 
forgotten by me, and although I am not of very much 
help to you, I feel now that a little letter will be an 
encouragement to you in your examination of a sub- 
ject so vital that it should interest all humanity. I 
will be with you at future times. — -Aunt Elizabeth 
Chase." 

All evidence indicates that the spirit world is ever 
anxious that those who are left behind should know 
that they still live. 

The third message contains this: "I suppose you 
see me at all times. — Iola Carey." In a communica- 
tion received from my sister Ida, the day following she 

1.5 




- 



Plate 4 



16 



wrote: "The one who wrote for me yesterday, signed 
my name Tola.' 

This is interesting. It will be noticed that the 
writing in the message signed 'Tola" is not the same 
writing as that found on Plates 3, 5, 15. This is 
further evidence that spirit helpers sometimes write 
for others in spirit life much as in mortal life. This 
question is discussed elsewhere in this book. 

It is certain that spirits can see and hear those in 
whose presence they may be, much as we can in the 
body. But the heavenly vision is not as by physical 
eyes. 

Note the further words of Ida Carey, "I hope to 
have you all over here some time." A written message 
from my father once said: "Don't wish me back." 
Spirits do not regard physical death as affliction. I 
have never heard of any who desires to return to the 
cares and troubles of the flesh. 

There are those who, because of the love of those 
left behind, or because of duty left undone or some 
work unfinished, regret their transition. 

The flesh is responsible for nearly all of our vices, 
for all our toil and labor, the most of our suffering and 
for those things which retard our progress toward the 
eternal destiny of the soul. Thus may we understand 
how it is that, when the physical eyes grow dim and 
the physical senses ebb and pass away, the spirit is 
quickened as the morning of a new light breaks in 
upon the weary pain-racked spirit and it finds rest and 
peace. 

I do not mean to be understood as expressing the 
opinion that all find rest and peace. My information is 
that the drunkard, the licentious, the cruel, the miserly 
oppressors of fellow men, the offenders against the laws 
of justice, humanity and love, each from the place in 
which they find themselves at the gateway of eternity, 
must suffer or find peace according to their just 
deserts. 

17 



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18 



My thoughts lead me to pity the condition of a 
soul like the late Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, 
whose spirit today looks back upon the suffering world, 
and knows that he, with a few others, has unjustly 
brought upon this world all the loss of life and labor, 
all the tears of widows and orphans, all of the incalcu- 
lable pain and anguish which enshrouds this war- 
stricken world today. 

His pomp and power are gone. He is no longer the 
ruler of anything. Athwart his pathway upward, pain 
unutterable pain, remorse unutterable remorse, are 
his to endure. He has sown to the flesh, and must 
"reap corruption" until regeneration brings unto him 
spiritual rest and peace, in the distant years of eternity. 

Plate 5 

This is an interesting plate. It was written in 
three colors, viz.: slate pencil, dark green and light 
yellow. It was received October, 1916. 

It is the last of five plates shown which verify the 
signature of my brother Frank Burr. The message 
is as follows: 

"Did you know that I was here one day this week? 
It shall be three times and out. — Frank Burr." 

This I think refers to the fact that I had called for 
an interview with the medium the day before. So 
many were waiting for him that I left to return later. 

The next message is from my sister Ida. 

"Willie, it did us an awfully lot of good to see sister 
here one day. I want every one on earth to know of 
this life. — Ida Carey." 

This message refers to the fact that my sister still 
living had written communications from my sister Ida 
the day previous to the one written to me. The word 
"awfully" is not a family word. "Willie" is the pet 
boyhood name by which my sister always addressed 
me. 

10 



Written in a dark green color is a message from a 
friend, the late Dr. Chas. E. Boult, of Honeoye Falls, 
N. Y., who passed into spirit life in 1913. He was at 
one time the principal of the school I attended. He 
was a personal friend for many years. I knew him 
well. The message reads: 

"I am here. — Chas. E. Boult." 

I consider this an excellent specimen of his hand- 
writing. 

Just above is another communication from an 
uncle who was a physician in Massachusetts and died in 
1911. He says: "Just a line to tell you, I am within 
the land of living. — Uncle Henry Adams." 

At the extreme top, and bottom side up will be 
found a message written in light yellow color signed, 
Elbert Hubbard. This communication says: 

"I am not a — (cannot read). I directed you by a 
divine law. — Elbert Hubbard." 

Then next a message from an old school-mate and 
friend, who at the time of his death in 1908, was city 
chamberlain of the city of Corning, N. Y. 

"Dear William: If you would develop or invent 
the lens that Dr. Franklin is anxious for some mortal to 
do, it would enable mortals to see the spirit leaving the 
body at decease. I wish this might be for the benefit 
of doubting Thomases. You might be the one to unfold 
this valuable lens. It means fame and fortune of 
course to the one who succeeds in bringing it out. I am 
glad to be here now. — Truly, Wm. C. Riffle." 

The handwritings of which I have other specimens 
were written both in life and after death. I consider 
certain characteristics of this writing as almost con- 
clusive proof of the identity of my school-mate and 
friend whose name is signed. 

In this communication signed Wm. C. Riffle, it 
should be noticed that he mentions the development or 
invention of a lens that would enable mortals to see 
the spirit leaving the mortal body. 

20 




21 



Plate 6 



I am informed that scientists have for some time 
been experimenting and trying to accomplish this end. 
It is certain that the camera will photograph objects 
and conditions not visible to the mortal eye. Scientists 
have already made it possible for any observer to see 
by means of a camera with special color screens the 
"health aura" of the human body, known to science as 
the "Etheric Double," and have succeeded in photo- 
graphing obscurely, spirit forms. One step farther and 
the photography of the astral body will be an assured 
fact. Spirit photography seems to have been accom- 
plished, but as yet the problem mentioned in this 
communication is apparently unsolved. 



Plate 6 

This slate was obtained November, 1908. In some 
respects it is most remarkable. Its messages are writ- 
ten in five different colors, viz. : red, purple, green, lead 
pencil and slate pencil. In the center of this slate will 
be found a remarkable bit of information: "We get 
our colors from that jar back on the table.— Chas. 
Bissell." 

Upon examination, I found that upon the table 
referred to, there stood an old fashioned globe in which 
was a dish containing wax fruits — purple grapes, red 
cheeked apples and green leaves. It is a demon- 
strated fact that spirit chemists collect and utilize 
colors obtained from sources and by methods unknown 
to man-made chemical laboratories. 

This plate contains the names of V. R. Hilton 
before mentioned. 

Charles Bissell, a personal friend, who died in 
1907 at Rochester, N. Y., and who was a prominent 
attorney, for many years counsel for the street rail- 
way company, city of Rochester. 

22 



William Burr, mv father, who died in 1882 at 
Lindley, N. Y. 

Michael Mumbach, whose message was written in 
green, and is not visible in this exhibit. He died in 
1893. 

Charles Simonds, whom I knew well, and who 
died in 1908 at Rochester, N. Y. This message is 
written in purple, and says: "There is no hell. I 
have looked this universe over and find no such place. — 
Charles Simonds." 

Then there comes a characteristic message bearing 
every possible evidence of being that of the late Robert 
G. Ingersoll. Question: "How can I convince your 
wife that you still live." Answer: "Mr. Burr, my 
young friend. You could not convince Mrs. Ingersoll 
of my life because my teachings of uncertainty are 
too closely intrenched in her mind. I thank you. — 
Truly, R. G. Ingersoll." 

In connection with this signature of R. G. Ingersoll 
especial attention is called to the signature and character 
of the communications in Plates 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. 

Plate 7 

This plate is especially interesting. On the two 
following pages will be found a photographic copy of 
the questions addressed to Geo. Raines, E. W. Huff cut, 
Susan B. Anthony, and Robert G. Ingersoll. 

These questions were written in the Metropolitan 
Hotel, at Washington, about two hours before my inter- 
view with Mr. Keeler, the medium through whom 
these communications were received. 

The questions were carefully folded and placed in 
my pocket. The creases made in the paper by the 
foldings are shown on these plates. 

No human eye ever saw these questions until I was 
in the State of Virginia, hours after these messages 
were written. The medium never saw them. 

23 



T\. * 



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■fw; 



Plate 7 



** V -# 




24 



The message signed R. G. Ingersoll, is written in a 
light green color across other messages. The outlines 
are visible by a careful examination. The original is 
in my possession, and by me regarded as a priceless 
treasure. 

I call attention to the remarkably accurate answers 
to the questions asked. 

The answer of Geo. Raines is: "Dear Burr: Tell 
Thomas he should examine this thing." 

Ernest H. Huffcut: "Yes, emphatically yes, a 
knowledge of all things is best for people who would 
advance." 

Susan B. Anthony: "Knowledge is power." 

Robert G. Ingersoll: "Yes, inform Mrs. Ingersoll, 
for later I will talk to you here Thursday night." 

Plates 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are grouped to afford easy 
comparison of the signature of R. G. Ingersoll. 

Plate 6 was received in 1908, 7 in 1909; 8 in 1911; 
9 in 1913 ; 10 in 1917. Following plate 10 will be found a 
photographic copy of Col. Ingersoll's signature. The 
closest scrutiny of the signatures and the messages is 
earnestly requested. 

I doubt if anywhere can be found more convincing 
evidence of the survival of life beyond the grave, than 
can be found especially in exhibit 7, when considered 
with the thirty -four others reproduced in this book. 

Plate 8 

The following communication shown on this plate 
was received by me in 1912. It is of special interest 
because the subject matter is characteristic. By it we 
are impressed by the unmistakable evidence that Col. 
Ingersoll's great devotion and love for his wife and 
children, of which he so often spoke, still animates his 
life. No poet has ever immortalized, no artist has 
ever portrayed, no prophet has ever uttered such words 

25 




Plate 7-A 



26 



Questions written by Author 




Questions written by Author 



Plate 7-1* 



27 




Plate 8 



28 



of peace and beauty concerning the love of man for 
wife, and parent for child as this great man. His 
foundations rest upon the eternal truths of nature. 
His understanding enabled him to associate the 
harmony of perfect confidence and love with the 
fragrance of flowers and the song of birds, and thus 
express his thoughts as no other living man has done. 

"Dear Sir and Friend: 

"I am grateful for any graciousness you may show 
Mrs. Ingersoll. I want her to know the truth as I 
desired to know it in my mortal days. I wandered 
between Spiritualism and Materialism and hoped for 
the best. I found life continuous and I rejoice. For 
by it, I know that I should again clasp to my breast 
the ones I love best in all the world. — Respectfully, 
R. G. Ingersoll." 

The other communication shown on this plate is 
from my friend Charles Bis sell before mentioned. 

"William: 

"I always feel like saluting you with a dozen guns. 
One Avho has taken such a courageous stand for truth 
in their life as vou have, merits our recognition. — 
Charles Bissell." 

Plate 9. 

This plate was obtained in August, 1912. Upon 
this occasion the following question was asked: 

"Will you give to me, for Mrs. Ingersoll, some 
fact known only to her and you by which she may 
know that you still live?" 

To this question, the remarkable answer came as 
follows : 

"Dear Sir and Friend, report my visits to my wife. 
I entertained privately the opinion during my earth 
life, most strange to many, I presume, that a certain 
deception, harmless in its result was justifiable. For 
instance, the subject of immortality of the soul, and 

^29 




Plate 9 



30 



the truths of modern spiritualism. Privately I held 
the hope of their truth, in fact, the line separating them 
was difficult to determine. My deception, if it may 
so be termed, was committed in the unspoken realm of 
thought I entertained. Mrs. Ingersoll knew well my 
mental attitude while the world did not. I refer to 
this as a subtle evidence to her that I am writing. I 
am of course living, were it not, I could not write 
this. — R. G. Ingersoll." 

It is doubtful if more satisfying or more convincing 
answers could have been received under any circum- 
stances. The answers given in these communications 
when considered in connection with Col. Ingersoll 's 
writings and utterances disprove the assertion of his 
critics that he denied the existence of future life. The 
following is quoted to show that the statements which 
I have made are fully justified by Col. Ingersoll's 
own words: 



Oration Delivered by Col. Ingersoll at the Funeral 

of His Brother, in Washington, 

June 3, 1879 . 

"My Friends: I am going to do that which the 
dead oft promised he would do for me. 

"The loved and loving brother, husband, father, 
friend died where manhood's morning almost touches 
noon, and while the shadows still were falling toward 
the west. He had not passed on life's highway the 
stone that marks the highest point, but, being weary 
for a moment, he lay down by the wayside, and using 
his burden for a pillow, fell into that dreamless sleep 
that kisses down his eyelids still. While yet in love 
with life and raptured with the world, he passed to 
silence and pathetic dust. 

"Yet, after all, it may be best, just in the happiest, 
sunniest hour of all the voyage, while eager winds are 
kissing every sail to dash against the unseen rock, and 

31 



in an instant hear the billows roar above a sunken 
ship. For, whether in mid-sea or 'mong the breakers 
of the farther shore, a wreck at last must mark the 
end of each and all. And every life, no matter if its 
every hour is rich with love and every moment jeweled 
with a joy, will, at its close, become a tragedy as sad 
and deep and dark as can be woven of the warp and 
woof of mystery and death. 

''This brave and tender man in every storm of life 
was oak and rock, but in the sunshine he was vine and 
flower. He was the friend of all heroic souls. He 
climbed the heights and left all superstitions far below, 
while on his forehead fell the golden dawning of the 
grander day. 

"He loved the beautiful, and was with color, form, 
and music touched to tears. He sided with the weak, 
and with a willing hand gave alms; with loyal heart 
and with purest hands, he faithfully discharged all 
public trusts. 

"He was a worshipper of liberty, a friend of the 
oppressed. A thousand times I have heard him quote 
these words: 'For justice all place a temple, and all 
seasons, summer.' He believed that happiness was the 
only good, reason the only torch, justice the only wor- 
ship, humanity the only religion and love the only 
priest. He added to the sum of human joy; and were 
every one to whom he did some loving service to 
bring a blossom to his grave, he would sleep tonight 
beneath a wilderness of flowers. 

"Life is a narroiv vale between the cold and barren 
peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond 
the heights. We cry aloud, and the only answer is the 
echo of our wailing cry. From the voiceless lips of the 
unreplying dead there comes no word; but in the night of 
death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the 
rustle of a wing. 

"He who sleeps here, when dying, mistaking the 
approach of death for the return of health, whispered with 

32 



his latest breath, 'I am better now.' Let us believe, in 
spite of doubts and dogmas, and tears and fears, that these 
dear words are true of all the countless dead. 

"And now to you who have been chosen, from 
among the many men he loved, to do the last sad office 
for the dead, we give his sacred dust. Speech cannot 
contain our love. There was, there is, no greater, 
stronger, manlier man." 

Copied from "Masterpieces of Eloquence." 

Again he said concerning Spirituality: 

"The spiritual man lives to his ideal. He endeav- 
ors to make others happy. He does not despise the 
passions that have filled the world with art and glory. 
He loves his wife and children, home and fireside. He 
cultivates the amenities and refinements of life. He is 
the friend and champion of the oppressed. His sympa- 
thies are with the poor and suffering. He attacks 
what he believes to be wrong, though defended by 
many, and he is willing to stand for right against the 
world. He enjoys the beautiful. In the presence of 
the highest creations of art, his eyes are suffused with 
tears. When he listens to great melodies, the divine 
harmonies, he feels the sorrows and the raptures of 
death and love. He is intensely human. He carries 
in his heart the burdens of the world. He searches for 
deeper meanings. He appreciates the harmonies of 
conduct, the melody of a perfect life/' 

Plate 10 

This plate was obtained at Rochester, in October, 
1917. It came at the same time with that of Lincoln 
(Plate 33), Hayes (Plate 32), Hubbard (Plate 11), 
Moore (Plate 22), and Beecher (Plate 30.) 

No question was asked, and the name of Ingersoll 
was not mentioned nor written by me prior to this 
communication. This reads as follows: 

33 




Plate 10 



34 




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Copy from Dresden Edition, 
Works of R. G. Ingersoll 



35 



Plate 10- A 



"No creed has all of truth, and hence all of any 
truth is not in any creed. I find that spiritualism is a 
natural thing, and truth is of nature. I am working 
my way upward. That is the direction we are all 
moving to. — R. G. Ingersoll." 

I am especially pleased to be able to present to the 
world such evidences as these, especially with reference 
to Col. Ingersoll. For many years I have considered 
him one of the greatest of public benefactors. I 
quote the following, which will afford an insight into 
the innermost life and thought of this great man, whose 
name and fame will grow brighter for generations yet 
unborn. 

"When I became convinced that the Universe is 
natural, for the first time I was free. There were no 
prohibited places in all the realms of thought — no air, 
no space where fancy could not spread her painted 
wings — no chains for my limbs — no lashes for my back 
— no fires for my flesh — no master's frown or threat 
— no following another's steps — no need to bow, or 
cringe, or crawl, or utter lying words. I was free. I 
stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds. 

"And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with 
thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes 
and thinkers who gave their lives for the liberty of hand 
and brain — for the freedom of labor and thought — to 
those who fell on the fierce fields of war, to those who 
died in dungeons bound with chains — to those who 
proudly mounted scaffold's stairs — to those whose 
bones were crushed, whose flesh was scarred and torn 
— to those by fire consumed — to all the wise, the good, 
the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have 
given freedom to the sons of men. And then I vowed 
to grasp the torch that they had held, and hold it 
high, that light might conquer darkness still. 

"Let us be true to ourselves — true to the facts we 
know, and let us, above all things, preserve the verac- 
ity of our souls. 

36 



"If there be gods, we cannot help them, but we can 
assist our fellow-men. We cannot love the incon- 
ceivable, but we can love wife, and child, and friend. 

"We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, 
when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known, 
we must say that we do not know. We can tell the 
truth, and we can enjoy the blessed freedom that the 
brave have won. We can destroy the monsters of 
superstition, the hissing snakes of ignorance and fear. 
We can drive from our minds the frightful things that 
tear and wound with beak and fang. We can civilize 
our fellow-men. We can fill our lives with generous 
deeds, with loving words, with art and song, and all 
the ecstacies of love. We can flood our years with sun- 
shine — with the divine climate of kindness, and we can 
drain to the last drop the golden cup of joy." — (From 
"Why I Am an Agnostic") 

Plate 11 

It may be truthfully said, Elbert Hubbard was 
one of the most unique characters of this generation. 
He was the founder and moving spirit of Roy Croft 
Shop at East Aurora, New York; the author of many 
books. 

Perhaps his most noted article was entitled "The 
Message to Garcia." This is said to have had a circu- 
lation of nearly twenty million. He was one of the 
notables aboard the Lusitania which was torpedoed by 
a German submarine off the coast of Ireland in May. 
1915. He went down with the ship and his body was 
never recovered. 

The communication shown on Plate 6 was written 
to me in October, 1916; one on Plate 11 was written in 
1917. No human hand was within at least five feet 
from the slate when this message of 191? was written. 

The signature on Plate 6 differs slightly from the 
one on 11. The writing on Plate () is known to the 

37 



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Plate 11 



38 



experts as 45° letters, that on 11 as 70° letters. The 
same characteristics are true in both except as to the 
formation of the angle. This illustrates yet another 
fact. A handwriting expert has this to say: 

"However elusive the sum and substance of the 
qualities that make up our individuality, it is possible 
by intuitive perception, or by a process of logical 
deduction, to determine the elements that constitute 
the personality in various ways." 

Teachers have recognized the fact that the varia- 
tions of form, size, style, and movement, developed 
after a year's graduation from the copy book, are due 
to temperamental qualities and the nature of the 
environment. 

Similar temperaments find a similar expression 
affected by the age, moods and circumstances of the 
writer, as recognized by some banks who require the 
signatures of depositors at various intervals for 
comparisons. 

When we consider how sensitive and dependent 
upon environment, manifestations of this nature must 
be, fairness and justice dictate liberality of judgment. 
The wonder is that any manifestation is possible, 
under any condition whatsoever. 

Plate 12 

These communications were received in November, 
1908. It was the first that I had ever received from 
Chas. Bissell, who has written to me on several occa- 
sions since then. "If I ever had a conscious life, I have 
it now. This is my first at this. I shall learn better 
how to write and so help you. — Chas. Bissell." 

The second communication was apparently from 
my father. "My dear son: I rejoice to see you here, 
I don't want you to feel that I am lost to you or gone 
into the grave. I still have much that I want to say. 







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Plate 12 



40 



much that I am not able to write. The discussion as to 
E. M. will be productive of much good, I feel sure. I 
am father, Wm. Burr." 

This and many other communications, indicate 
that those who dwell in spirit life are anxious that their 
friends in earth life may know that they still survive. 
This, I suppose, is for the reason that the uncertainty 
of the future to most has been such, that all are anxious 
to send back the message that they have survived the 
ordeal of physical death. 

Plates 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, are grouped so that 
the signature of William Burr, my father, may be 
easily compared. The first of these was received in 
1908, the last in 1917. 



Plate 13 

Upon this slate will be found nine messages, and 
three colors ; the names are as follows : 

1. William Burr, my father. 

2. Charles Simonds, a friend. 

3. V. R. Hilton, my grandfather. 

4. William Reed, a friend of the family. 

5. Charles Bissell, a friend. 

6. Wayne Wescott, an employee and friend. 

7. Michael Mumbach, a grandfather of a friend. 

8. Arthur W. Moore, a Masonic brother, and 
personal friend. 

9. James Breck Perkins, of Rochester, who at the 
time of his death in Washington, in 1910, was Congress- 
man from the 37th Congressional District. 

Of this group, Arthur W. Moore believed in spirit 
return. His message was, "I find it all real." He was 
an artist of great talent, a writer of force and clearness. 

Wayne Wescott used to tell me about seeing his 
boyhood sweetheart walking by his side on the street, 

41 




Plate 13 



42 



and hearing and seeing friends who had long since 
passed away. He was a remarkable psychic, although 
he knew nothing about the scientific truths concerning 
his powers. 

Three of these persons I have never known nor 
seen, but all are connected with my family; or other 
conditions connected with them are such that I have 
satisfactory reasons for believing these communi- 
cations genuine. 

Plate 14 

This communication was received in 1908. The 
signature should be compared with that on Plates 
12, 13, 15 and 16. 

"For My Dear Son: It is a gratification to me 
to meet you in this way and I trust that ere long you 
will be able, by self development, to communicate 
direct with us. That would be a real satisfaction to 
both you and me. It is not that I am far away. It is 
conditions not distance that make it difficult at times 
for us to manifest to you. I am often with you at the 
home but there is no way to let you know that I am 
there. If there be anything I can do to help you in any 
way call me. I can come and in a subtle way help 
you I feel sure. — Your father, Wm. Burr." 

The noteworthy part of this communication is 
this: "It is not that I am far away. It is conditions 
not distance that make it difficult at times for us to 
manifest to you. I am often in the home, when there 
is no way to let you know that I am there/' 

It is a well established fact that our own spirit 
friends are ofttimes with us in the home, and wher- 
ever we may go. But we cannot see them, because 
they are spirit, and mortal eyes cannot discern spiritual 
beings. Again it is said that "conditions, not distance, 
make it difficult to manifest." This is a natural law, 
easy to understand. 

43 



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Plate 14 



44 




This communication, with many others, indicates 
certain facts which are little understood. It points the 
way to a field of knowledge which is almost unknown 
and unexplored at the present time. 

The universe embraces all things therein con- 
tained, movable and immovable, visible and invisible, 
tangible and intangible. 

The present day unit of chemical composition 
is the atom; hitherto this has been considered the 
smallest conceivable body of matter. Recent scientific 
investigation has disclosed a yet smaller unit known 
as the electron. 

The chemical unit, however, belongs to the realm 
of physical conditions and senses. It does not partake 
of spiritual or ethereal conditions. Let us for a moment 
select a beautiful forest tree, consume it by a fire, 
and resolve it into its primary elements. Within 
sixty minutes it may be transformed from a stately 
monarch of the forest to invisible gases, and become 
resolved into the primary conditions from whence it 
came. 

To the physical eye seven primary colors of the 
spectrum are visible. To the physical ear some sound 
vibrations are audible. To the deaf ear no sound 
vibrations are audible. Thus we see that both physical 
seeing and physical hearing depend upon physical 
conditions. 

Science has disclosed a realm in which colors of 
infinitely finer character than those visible to the physi- 
cal eye exist. It has been discovered that there is an 
extended realm of sound vibration which the normal 
physical ear cannot hear, a realm beyond the border- 
land of the physical. Here the spirit world begins. 

To bridge the chasm between these two natural 
conditions, normal and abnormal, is the problem of 
scientific and physical investigation of today. Thus 
the conclusion is forced upon us that a truth of nature 
is found in this statement — "It is conditions, not 

45 




Plate 15 



46 



distance, which make it difficult" for the mortal eye 
to see and the mortal ear to hear those things, and to 
realize those conditions which lie beyond the physical 
realm, and within the realm of the life of the spirit. 



Plate 15 

This communication was received in Washington, 
D. C„ in 1909. 

"Will, my son, I am very glad to come here and 
greet you. You may see by my presence that time, 
space and place count for very little in their influence 
over our communications with you. I understood very 
little of this subject in my days on earth. I have 
advanced here, but sometimes I think if I had given a 
little more consideration to this life when I was in the 
mortal that I might have experienced an easier and 
more rapid progress when I reached here. I am pleased 
to see you examining so vital a subject — a knowledge 
that we live beyond the physical plane will be of help 
to you. I am quite at ease now. — Father, Wm. Burr." 

The other communication on this plate is appar- 
ently from my sister and reads as follows: 

"Will, did you expect to hear from me down here 
in this strange place? I shall try to manifest wherever 
you may sit. I think I can come at most any time. 
Did you ever see me in those times I came to you? I 
am as satisfied as can be here. Tell Winifred I came.— 
Lovingly, Ida Carey." 

Both of these communications are characteristic. 
The statement by my father that if he had given more 
consideration to the future life while in his mortal days, 
it would have been of assistance to him, is significant. 
There seems to be much other evidence of this fact 
from those who dwell in the spirit world. Knowl- 
edge of these conditions is probably the foundation of 
the teachings of all religions. 

47 



-.. 




Plate 16 



48 



Plate 16 

Attention is called to this plate for comparison of 
the signatures of Wm. Burr with others of his as shown 
in Plates 6, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. 

The message signed "Jacob Mumbach" is appar- 
ently from the father of a stenographer in my employ, 
as before mentioned. Plates 2, 10. "I am grateful for 
all kindness to and interest in Emma. I will be a 
crown bearer to you when you cross the great divide." 
It is certain that angel friends meet and greet loved 
ones when they cross the "great divide." Beautiful 
death scenes are recorded in which evidences of pain 
and grief are replaced by smiles and inexpressible joy. 
Certain it is that many, especially the aged, live at 
times in both worlds, and when the end comes, it is 
but the fulfillment of nature's plan, and obedience 
to the laws of nature that the ripened grain should 
fall before the reapers, and the spirit pass on into 
other conditions. 

When at last the astral cord is severed, and the 
spirit takes its final leave of its own visible flesh, 
never to return, then it is that it awakens to know 
heavenly conditions if the earthly life has been pure 
and spiritual. Heaven's doors are open, and heaven's 
joys are before it. 

George Mumbach I have never known, but I am 
informed that he was a brother of Jacob. 

The message from Susan B. Anthony is remarka- 
ble. She is, as most people know, the historic figure of 
the pioneer days of the woman's suffrage movement. 
Until the day of her transition, she labored unceasingly 
for the right of women to vote. She was a woman of 
national reputation. The amendment to the Federal 
Constitution which she drew conferring the right of 
suffrage upon woman, is now pending in Congress. 
She was born in North Adams, Mass., 18 c 26, and died in 
Rochester, N. Y., in 1906. Her message is: 

49 



"Dear Sir: In your efforts in the promulgation 
of vital truths learned, could not you incidentally 
cast a flower now and then athwart the thorny path 
of Woman's Suffrage? — Susan B. Anthony." 

This is another evidence of the interest of souls 
who have passed into the spirit life in the things of 
earth life, and shows that this interest does not cease 
at death, but continues. 

The signature of Charles A. Young is entirely 
characteristic. The letter G is of peculiar construc- 
tion. I have an exact reproduction of the letter G 
found in an endorsement of a check which I at one time 
gave him. At the time of his death, he was a prominent 
attorney at Rochester, and Chief Forester of the Order 
of Foresters of the State of New York. He passed to 
spirit life in Rochester in 1908. 

Plate 17 

This plate was received in 1911 (cf. Plate 7). It is 
especially interesting for two reasons, namely, as a 
communication from Ernest W. Huffcutt, and as an 
exact answer to the question asked him which was as 
follows: "Can you convince me that you still live?" 

This question was written in my office, carefully 
folded, and no human eye ever saw it until after this 
message has been written. 

He was a graduate of Cornell University, for 
several years a professor of law, later Dean of the Law 
College of Cornell. At the time of his death, he was 
legal adviser to Gov. Hughes, then governor of the 
State of New York. He died in 1909. 

He was a man of remarkable personality, and 
precision of thought, as his answers will indicate. He 
was one of my professors at Cornell University for three 
years. I know his signature well; I consider these 
plates an excellent and satisfying specimen of his 
handwriting. Other signatures will be found on Plates 
7, 19 and 24. 

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Plate 17 



In the message of Jacob Mumbach another refer- 
ence is again made to his daughter Emma, alluded to 
in their notes on Plate 2. 



Plate 18 

This plate was obtained in Washington, 1909. 
Attention is called to the forget-me-nots. These deli- 
cate reminders are frequently found on written com- 
munications of this sort. The name Mary Reed 
Chapman, I do not know. It is a well known fact, that 
the spirit world is teeming with countless hosts of 
those who from spirit life are anxious to send back to 
earth some message of love to those left behind. Hence 
this and other communications of like nature. 

In the communication signed "Aunt Ella Chase" 
will be found this: "Your journey away and back 
home looks to me like a safe one. I see no danger 
before you. I am often anxious to take a trip, so I 
guess I will go with you this time." By reference to 
Plate 2, you will find a similar reference to this trip 
by my Brother Franklin Burr. The trip is there 
described, and both of these communications were 
received at the same time and place, while I was staying 
in Washington, en route from Rochester to Richmond, 
Virginia. 

By reference to other messages by Ella Chase and 
Elizabeth Chase, a remarkable similarity of writing 
upon each occasion will be observed. I have never 
seen either of them. Nor have I seen their mortal 
handwriting. I am unable to conclude more than that 
upon slates it is always the. same, and that each belong 
to different types of handwriting. 



Plate 19 

Plate 19 is a very interesting one. The persons 
and names thereon are as follows: 

52 




53 



Plate 18 




Plate 19 



54 



1. J. B. Perkins (James Breck), who died at 
Washington, D. C, while a Congressman from the 
37th Congressional District of New York in 1910. He 
was author of a "History of France," a lawyer of high 
repute, and an honored citizen of Rochester. 

2. E. W. 'HufTcutt (cf. Plates 7, 17), described 
under Plate 17. 

3. Franklin Burr, described under Plate 1. 

4. George Raines (communication written in red) 
described under Plate 3. 

5. Winifred Huggins, an intimate friend of our 
family, who passed to spirit life at Lindley, New York, 
in 1910. 

6. "Irene," whose signature I well know, was for 
many years a personal friend and school-mate. She 
passed to spirit life in 1900. 

The HufTcutt message is especially noteworthy. 
The question was asked by writing upon a small piece 
of paper as follows: "Who wrote 'Nathan Hale,' and 
'The Blue and the Gray?' ' The late Judge Francis 
M. Finch, an ex- judge of the court of Appeals, who at 
the time of my attendance at Cornell, was Dean of the 
Law College, wrote both "Nathan Hale" and "The Blue 
and the Gray." Prof. HufTcutt was at that time one of 
the professors, and of course, knew Judge Finch, and 
all about "Nathan Hale" and "The Blue and the 
Gray." I asked this question for the purpose of 
testing and proving the identity of Prof. Huffcutt. 
Upon slates written in the blue black color, I found 
these answers: "You know as much about 'The Blue 
and the Gray' as I do. — E. W. Huffcutt." 

This answer is entirely true. I did know all 
about "The Blue and the Gray." This answer bears 
great weight. Note how the writing on this plate 
plainly shows. It is written in blue black. No such 
color was placed between the slates. Nothing was 
placed between the slates except an infinitesimal piece 
of slate pencil. 



DO 



The communication from J. B. Perkins states, 
"Mr. Burr, I am booked for the sessions of a higher 
congress than that at Washington. I could fully enjoy 
this 'other world,' if I had my friends and family here. 
— Truly, J. B. Perkins." 

Plate 20 
This plate is interesting for the reason that I have 
never known any of the persons who appear upon this 
slate. It came with twelve other messages upon other 
slates. 

1. Jacob Mumbach, described under Plate 2. 
Note this information : "There are wide fields here 

which will take ages of existence for us to explore." 
He states further that he is glad that I do not forget 
"the ascended ones." My information upon this sub- 
ject indicates that great good comes to those in spirit 
life, especially to those who are still bound by the 
fetters of the flesh, by communication with and assist- 
ance from those who still dwell in the body. The 
prayers and kindly thoughts for those who dwell in 
spirit life are of great assistance to them. Our tears and 
sorrows are theirs, they depress and burden them. 
Hence the mourning days and the lamentations of well- 
meaning people are days of suffering for the so-called 
dead. 

The Catholic idea of Purgatory, I believe to be 
based upon knowledge of these conditions. Hence the 
prayers for the dead. This is probably of great assist- 
ance in the days of suffering and adjustment which 
follow the transition of undeveloped spirits into new 
and unknown conditions beyond the grave. Prayers 
and kindly thoughts sent out by us can be a power to 
help those in need who are beyond the reach of any 
other kind of mortal assistance." 

2. Susan B. Anthony, described under Plate 16. 
"You have a large and special field of work before 

you which will lead to your preferment and fame." I 

56 



"I 




PC 




iii 



i^ 



*< 



v -M- 



r w 



- 

* 




57 



Platk 20 



find upon inquiry that the word "preferment" was one 
of her pet words. We all have them. This was an 
unusual word. We would consider it an old-fashioned 
word. It furnishes an excellent means of identification. 
3. Amy Post, of whom I had never heard or 
known until after her name came to me. After this 
message was received, I found that she was a mother of 
four sons, all of whom were residents of Rochester, 
N. Y., and that her family were the founders of the 
Post Drug Company of Rochester, many years ago. 
One of her sons examined this slate, and pronounced 
the signature genuine, and her message characteristic. 

Plate 21 

Three noteworthy facts are stated in the message 
on this plate. Elizabeth Chase says (cf. Plate 18) 
i 'Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly.' 
How often did we not sing that good old hymn with 
courage in our mortal days. But when I got here, I 
found that we have to save ourselves if we are going to 
be saved at all. I am in the bright light now." This 
statement speaks the truth as I view the idea of "salva- 
tion." Long and meaningless prayers and "sound 
religious doctrines" are but the religious trappings of 
those who have not yet come to know that life is 
eternal and progressive, that knowledge is power, and 
that obedience to the harmonial laws of love and 
spiritual growth alone can save man from himself. 
Man has nothing to fear but himself, for he holds his 
own "salvation" in his own hands. 

"I am in the bright light now." This is in- 
structive. The darkness of this spirit world is the 
condition which surrounds the spiritually ignorant and 
undeveloped soul which passes into spirit life in that 
condition. Spheres of advancement are before us; 
everyone proceeds toward salvation only as he advances 
along the harmonial lines of nature and spiritual 

58 




59 



Plate 21 



growth. It would be unnatural, and therefore im- 
possible, for a man, or a woman, depraved, licentious, 
or addicted to any vice, immediately at death to be 
translated to the "bright light" mentioned in this 
message. All life, in or out of the body, is progressive. 
Only by natural evolution can it proceed from darkness 
into light on its progress toward the infinite. 

The message from Jacob Mumbach is instructive, 
when he says, "I could not die if I wanted to." 

David Ogden says: "There is no real separation 
by decease. We live on all the time." From the 
other side of the grave countless evidences come that 
life is continuous and progressive. 

The message by Winifred Huggins, described under 
Plate 19, sheds light on yet another fact. It is appar- 
ent that for some reason, spirits sometimes write for 
others. The message from Winifred Huggins, in Plate 
19, I consider entirely correct and written by her own 
hand. I had known her for many years, and consider 
that communication entirely characteristic. The mes- 
sage in Plate 21, I do not. Under Plate 17 the state- 
ment of E. W. Huffcutt mentions this fact. It is 
again mentioned by Ida Carey at Plate 4. Much 
other information of which I have knowledge indicates 
this truth. 

Plate 22 

This message was received by me at Rochester, 
October, 1917. While the thoughts expressed in the 
message are characteristic, and some parts of the sig- 
nature and writing appear to be genuine, I have no 
positive means of identification. If from my personal 
friend, he was Robert Moore, of Rochester, N. Y. 

"You are doing wonderful work in giving so much 
of your time, strength, and devotion to the great 
cause." From this, and every source of information 
obtainable, evidence forces the conclusion that the 
spirit world is anxious that those who still survive, 

60 




61 



Plate ^> 



should know of their life and of conditions which 
obtain beyond the veil. A casual reading will make it 
clear that almost everyone whose messages are recorded 
mentions this fact. 

Many times the question is asked, "Why don't 
spirits tell us this or that?" Again, some will say that 
spirits should know and be able to answer any question. 
A moment's reflection will reveal that such opinions 
are ridiculous and ill-advised. If a ship-wrecked sailor, 
saved from death, is stranded on a distant island in a 
foreign sea, he is anxious that his loved ones at home 
may know that he still lives. If anyone were to offer 
him the use of the telephone for two or three minutes, 
with which to speak a few words with his loved ones 
on the distant shore, what would naturally be his 
first message? What would be yours? It would re- 
late to his welfare, and to yours. It would be some 
message that appeals to the heart rather than to the 
head. It would not be a scientific discussion con- 
cerning any question. Spirits do just what you and I 
will do, when we, too, become spirit. Those who 
dwell in spirit life are not possessed of all knowledge in 
that life, any more than they were here. Spirit 
identity cannot be concealed, whether a man be good or 
bad. All life is continuous and progressive. There 
can be no other law of development. 

It was just eight months before this message from 
Robert Moore was written to me, that through my 
advice, he himself obtained communications from his 
deceased father, mother and sisters. 



Plate 23 

1. The message in Plate 23, signed Wm. Reed, 
states: "I have not yet ascended to the fourth 
sphere." This, with many other evidences, indicates 
that life in spirit is progressive from sphere to sphere. 
These spheres exist only in spirit conditions; each 

62 




63 



Plate £3 



spirit can pass from lower to higher only through 
spiritual development. Hence it is proven that this 
communication is introduced to convey information 
concerning this spirit evolution which lies in the path 
of one and all. 

2. The communication signed "Aunt Ella Chase," 
states: "I pray for the blessing of heaven to fall upon 
you. I know you deserve the best there is in heaven 
or on the earth." The character of this communica- 
tion from the spirit world shows that the same kind 
thoughts are with her in spirit that characterized her 
life while in the body. It will be noted that each 
message signed either "Aunt Ella Chase," or "Aunt 
Elizabeth Chase," is of this character. 

3. Charles Simonds described under Plate 6 says: 
"I am not accustomed to the working of this room." 
By this, I suppose he means to say that the vibratory 
and magnetic conditions of the room are not such as 
would enable him to utilize them for definite results. 
It is certain that spirits cannot write until they have 
acquainted themselves with the law by which that 
phenomenon is produced. 

Manifestations are sometimes in some degree 
influenced by the powers and forces through which 
they have to express action and thought. 

4. V. R. Hilton writes: "You can get this writing 
by yourself." I know nothing about this. Pierre 
Keeler, the greatest of the slate-writing mediums, 
says that he knows nothing about how or why 
slate- writings are produced. He states further that 
it requires six years of one hour period of silence 
and negative conditions each day for the development 
of any form of manifestation of this character through 
him. The wisest souls in the spirit life know but little 
about the many laws they utilize to produce results. 
Probably this is no more strange than that science has 
never discovered what electricity is, nor the source of 
the force of gravity, nor the cohesive nor adhesive 

64 



qualities of substance. In fact, this is true of nearly 
all the great forces of nature. 



Plate 24 

Plates 24, 25, 26 and 27 are grouped together to 
demonstrate the wonderful mechanical skill possessed 
by those in spirit life. Plates 24 and 25 are outlines of 
faces. I do not know whose likeness is supposed to be 
represented. All were made at the same time under 
the same conditions as hereinbefore described. Plate 
24 was received at Buffalo, in 1912. Especial atten- 
tion is called to the communication signed "Aunt 
Elizabeth Chase," which reads as follows: 

"Time and place make very little difference with 
me in my coming. I do not go to a place by travelling, 
as I did on earth. It is mere thought that places me 
where I want to be. Just as soon as I received the 
wishes to be here, I thought myself present and here 
was. 

This is very instructive as regards the way by 
which spirits go from place to place by the power of 
thought. All information indicates that spirit tran- 
scends and surpasses all matter as we understand the 
term; that it can pass from place to place and through 
all substance with lightning rapidity exactly as above 
indicated. The physical body is no part of thought. 
It is only a combination of bones, flesh, muscles, and 
nerves through which the spirit functions, and by 
which and through which it transmits from the spiritual 
realms of spiritual vibration to this material realm of 
heavier vibration, that which we call thought. 

Thoughts are potent forces, either constructive or 
destructive, and greatly influence the body. Demon- 
strate for yourself the truth this way. If you have a 
thought of pain created by an unnatural physical con- 
dition, forget it by thinking about something else, 
something pleasant. As long as you concentrate and 

65 




Plate 24 



66 



hold your mind fixed upon something else, you will 
not think of your pain, you will not have any. For 
pain is a disordered condition of the mind and nerves, 
sometimes produced by the disordered condition of the 
body and sometimes created by imagination. One 
cannot think of two things at the same time. Herein 
lies the real essence of all forms of healing through the 
mind, chief of which is Christian Science, Mental 
Science, New Thought and others. Herein lies the 
secret of the nearly of all forms of mental and spiritual 
growth. Drive out ignorance with knowledge, evil 
with good, inharmonious thoughts with thoughts of 
peace, beauty and harmony, and thus open the door 
for spiritual growth and peace. Thus may heaven 
begin on earth, by creating less unhappiness for our- 
selves and for others, and by pointing and leading the 
way toward heaven. 

I cannot pass this point under discussion without 
momentarily digressing from the main question to pay 
a tribute to the splendid and wholesome influence of 
mental remedies for human ailments, chief of which is 
Christian Science, 

The fundamental truth of Christian Science teach- 
ing is nothing but old wine in new bottles. The 
potency of mind is ancient religious and ethical thought. 
In the New Testament, it is most prominent if the 
records concerning Jesus are correct. The writings of 
P. P. Quimby were enlarged upon, and they constitute 
the foundation of certain alleged principles denominated 
Christian Science, the most notable exponent of which 
is Mary Baker Eddy. I refer to this partially because 
she attributed to spirit voices and influence her first 
call to her life work. This will be shown by the fol- 
lowing quotation, page 8, "Retrospection and Intro- 
spection" (1891): 

Voices Not Our Own 

"Many peculiar circumstances and events con- 
nected with my childhood throng the chambers of 

67 



memory. For some twelve months when I was about 
eight years old, I repeatedly heard a voice, calling me 
distinctly by name, three times in an ascending scale. 
I thought this was my mother's voice, and sometimes 
went to her, beseeching her to tell me what she wanted. 
Her answer was always, 'Nothing, child; what do you 
mean?' Then I would say, 'Mother, who did call me? 
I heard somebody call Mary three times;' this con- 
tinued until I grew discouraged, and my mother per- 
plexed and anxious. 

"One day, when my cousin, Mehitable Huntoon, 
was visiting us, and I sat in a little chair by her side, 
in the same room with grandmother — the call again 
came, so loud that Mehitable heard it, though I had 
ceased to find it. Greatly surprised, my cousin turned 
to me and said, 'Your mother is calling you;' but I 
answered not, till again the same call was thrice 
repeated. Mehitable then said sharply, 'Why don't 
you go? Your mother is calling you.' I then left the 
room, went to my mother, and once more asked her 
if she had summoned me? She answered as always 
before. Then I earnestly declared my cousin had 
heard the voice, and said that mother wanted me. 
Accordingly, she returned with me to grandmother's 
room and led my cousin into an adjoining apartment. 
The door was ajar and I listened with bated breath. 
Mother told Mehitable all about this mysterious voice, 
and asked if she really did hear Mary's name pro- 
nounced in audible tones. My cousin answered quickly 
and emphasized her affirmation. 

"That night before going to rest, my mother read 
to me the Scriptural narrative of little Samuel, and bade 
me, when the voice called again, to reply as he did, 
'Speak Lord; for thy servant heareth.' The voice came, 
but I was afraid, and did not answer. Afterward I 
wept, and prayed that God would forgive me, resolving 
to do next time, as my mother had bidden me. When 
the call came again, I did answer in the words of 

68 



Samuel, but never again to the material senses was 
that mysterious call repeated." 

At page 306, "Miscellaneous Writings, "in 1897, she 
wrote: "When the angels visit us we do not hear the 
rustle of their wings nor feel the feathery touch of the 
breast of a dove, but we know their presence by the 
love they create in our hearts." 

For many years Mary B. Eddy was a clairvoyant. 
Several persons now living and known to me have 
witnessed manifestations of her psychic powers. It is 
reasonable to assume that much of her unusual insight 
into the relations between the physical and spiritual 
part of humanity and of the power of mind over matter 
came from the "tribunal of the unseen." 

It is to be hoped that her followers may not fall 
into the error of deifying the person, thereby looking 
to the wrong source for knowledge concerning the 
principles which she taught. Some have denied that 
Mary Baker Eddy acknowledged spirit guidance, but 
they who know the truth and still deny, perforce fall 
with their load. 

Van Renssalaer Hilton is the V. R. Hilton herein- 
before mentioned. I never knew until this communi- 
cation was received by me that his name was Van 
Renssalaer. I found this to be true. This communica- 
tion was an answer to a question. 

Attention is called to the communication signed 
x\unt Ella Chase. 

"Lizzie and I like to come here and write to you. 
We are inseparable in this spirit realm and one of us 
always reports to the other when anything important 
occurs. I hope we may write to you more." 

Aunt Elizabeth Chase and Aunt Ella Chase were 
sisters who lived and died in close relationship. I 
have never seen either of them. They were related 
to me by marriage. Compare signatures in Plates 
18, 21, and 24. 



The short message at the top of this plate is most 
remarkable. It is not a spirit writing, but was written 
by a medium under the following conditions: I had 
asked the question of Prof. E. W. Huffcutt, "Are 
spirits glad to communicate with mortals." No 
answer to this question appeared upon the slates when 
I first saw them, but after the communication had 
ended and I was about to leave the room, the medium's 
hand began to move, and he said to me. "Here is 
another one for whom you have sent. He wants to 
write." At this he took in his hand a pencil and 
wrote the communication shown. "I am of course 
glad. — Prof. E. H. Huffcutt." I sat in silence and 
watched every movement. Without word from me, 
the medium said. "He says that middle initial is 
wrong. That it should be W instead of H." There- 
upon he made the marks shown in this exhibit in an 
effort to change H. to W. By an examination, you 
will see the exact circular lines drawn by the medium 
in his effort to correct the mistake to which reference 
is made. Then he said . "He says he is not profes- 
sor now and wants that erased." At this he drew two 
lines shown in the exhibit through the word professor. 
Both of these lines shown in the plate. Reference is 
made to this remarkable occurrence as evidence of a 
branch of spirit manifestations entirely different from 
what is known as slate writing. I refer to that branch 
known as clair-audience namely, the hearing of spirit 
voices. This one instance indicates the accuracy of 
this form of communication. It could not be done 
through thought transference because three distinct 
thoughts were represented here which I did not have 
in mind. As above stated, this entire transaction 
took place without a word or suggestion from me. 

Plate %5 
This plate is interesting to illustrate a truth by 
which in all probablity the human face of some friend 
is sought to be reproduced. 

70 




Plate c 25 



71 



Further attention is called to the communication 
signed "Uncle Henry Adams." "How queer that we 
should meet here in the Capitol." This communica- 
tion was received at Washington, D. C, in 1909. I 
assume that this refers to the national capital. 

Again he says: "I feel just about as I did on earth." 
This is a very interesting and instructive bit of infor- 
mation. The real facts concerning conditions of life 
beyond the grave have been so beclouded by theologi- 
cal doctrines and theories, "the sleep of the dead," 
"the resurrection morning," "the judgment day," and 
other theories of like import, that it is difficult for this 
day and generation to comprehend that death is as 
natural as birth; that man, immediately after his 
transition, is about the same as he was before, that life 
is continuous and progressive. One moment's re- 
flection will convince us that man is a part of nature 
like the birds of the air, the flowers of the field. He 
lives and moves and has his being according to nature's 
laws. If this conception of life be accepted, it is then 
easy for us to understand that depraved and earth- 
bound individuals cannot by death be transformed into 
saints, nor the ignorant be made wise. It is then easy 
for us to see that spiritual growth and development is 
a matter of spiritual vibration and that before a soul 
can change its condition, it must first change itself by 
the natural laws of cause and effect. Nature knows 
no other law. No man knows any law which tran- 
scends the laws of nature, the cosmic force by which 
we live and move and have our being. 

Plate 26 

This slate was produced in a public audience at 
Rochester, N. Y., at which nearly 500 persons were 
present and witnessed all occurences connected with 
it. The slates were brought by different persons who 
desired to bring them. A committee of three persons 
were called from the audience to examine, wash, place 

72 




Plate l 2(> 



slate pencil between the slates, and then securely tie slates 
together. After this had been done by the committee 
they were placed on the platform before the audience. 
Volunteers were then called from the audience, about 
thirty or forty in number. They then stood in a 
circle, a pair of the slates prepared as above described 
were handed to those who had come from the audience, 
and a circle was formed by joining hands with the 
slates as a connecting link, thus forming an endless 
chain in which some thirty or forty persons with the 
slates held between them were joined in a circle. The 
medium was P. L. Keeler, of Washington, D. C. Within 
five minutes after the circle was formed, writing was 
heard and the vibration of slates in different parts of 
the circle was visible. Within ten minutes the whole 
proceeding was completed. Thirty-three communi- 
cations were found on the slates to persons in the audi- 
ence. The slate shown in Plate 26 was one of them. 
It is shown as an illustration of mechanical skill. 
Enos Wood I do not know. Roxie Joslyn I did know. 
She was a client of mine. I made her last will and testa- 
ment a few days before she died, in March, 1916. It is 
certain that no mechanical device was or could be 
used in the construction of this geometrically perfect 
figure. Every line is straight and every angle is per- 
fect. The writing in the center is appropriate to the 
occasion and the signature is as perfect as anything 
can be. As to how it is that these wonderful mechanical 
feats are performed I have received no explanation. 
This and the slate following will show beyond question 
of doubt that some power of intelligence greater than 
that possessed by human hands produced these results. 

Plate 27 

This plate was produced at the same time and 
place, and under the same conditions as those described 
in Plate 26. It is shown here to further illustrate the 
marvellous powers which operate in unseen realms. 

74 




75 



Plate c 2? 



It is evident that one hand did all of this, for the hand- 
writing in all of the eleven circles is the same. Note 
the mechanical accuracy of every circle, the beauty of 
the flowers; four different flowers and three differently 
formed leaves are seen. 

The name Ruby Parry and A. C. Moore are known 
to me. Other names were recognized by persons in 
the audience. 

I knew Ruby Parry well. She had a little daughter 
who passed to spirit life about five years since. Her 
husband had married again. He was in the audience. 
The little daughter who had passed to spirit life wrote 
on one of the slates — "My papa has got a new mamma. 
I am glad of it." 

This plate I consider a remarkable specimen of 
its kind. It is the fourth and last shown to illustrate 
one phase of the mechanical powers of the world about us. 

Plate 28 

This plate is shown to illustrate another fact. 
It quite frequently occurs that no message can be 
obtained for certain reasons unknown. The medium 
on the day in question in 1908, was preparing to leave 
the city, but consented to remain for a time to accom- 
modate me. After waiting for a time, there came on 
the slate this communication, shown in Plate 28, 
which reads as follows: "Will not be able to get any 
one to write under hurried or flurried conditions. 
Defer writing until a more favorable time.— G. C." 
"G. C." is the spirit guide of the medium through 
whom this was written. 

By holding this plate before a glass it can be readily 
deciphered. As to why or how this communication 
was written in this way, I have no information. It 
is one of the mysteries of the unseen world. This 
further illustrates the fact that positive and negative 
conditions must exist whenever these manifestations 

76 




77 



Plate ^28 



are produced. Positive, combative, and antagonistic 
mental conditions are unsatisfactory for the best 
results. This fact leads us to yet another fact of 
nature. It seems that in all manifestations of nature, 
there is the positive and negative, the male and the 
female. The polarity of the earth indicates the nega- 
tive and the positive. Of all living creatures there is 
the positive, the male, and the negative, the female. 
So with many known plants and flowers, and so with 
day, the positive, and night, the negative. All life 
begins in negative conditions. In the darkness, as it 
were, spirit manifestations are more readily produced, 
under negative conditions: therefore as above stated, 
positive or antagonistic conditions are less favorable 
than negative conditions for spirit manifestations. 



Plate 29 

This plate is shown to illustrate another truth con- 
cerning this particular kind of manifestation. The 
day when this plate was produced, was a dark, dismal 
and rainy November afternoon. 

Note that of the five different handwritings, five dif- 
ferent communications, and five different names, four 
mentioned bad weather conditions. No other com- 
munications were received upon this occasion. This 
sort of manifestation is most satisfactory in a bright 
light, under clear skies, and with passive conditions of 
both mind and body. It is certain that those in 
spirit life, when entering the heavier vibrations of our 
earth plane for the purpose of communicating, are 
influenced by much the same conditions as those in 
the body. It is impossible to obtain certain kinds of 
manifestations during electrical storms, others in dark 
and cloudy weather; some are produced in darkness, 
and yet others in light. As one star differs from 
another, so each manifestation of divine law controls 
these communications from the spirit world. Each 

78 




Plate 29 



differs according to the law of chemical combinations. 
Each is subject to the unerring cosmic laws of the 
universe. 

Plate 30 

This plate was received by me, October 6, 1917. It 
was one of the six mentioned in Plate 6. It reads: 

"Dear President of Plymouth Church. I too pre- 
sided in a Plymouth Church. Long ago I learned 
this, that when a man or woman gets too full of church 
religion, there is not any room left in him for common 
sense. — Henry Ward Beecher." 

It is needless to say that Henry Ward Beecher 
was for many years the recognized leader among the 
New York clergy, perhaps one of the most famous that 
has ever lived in the United States. Many years 
before his death in 1897, he was pastor of Plymouth 
Church in Brooklyn, N. Y. I was president of the 
board of trustees of Plymouth Church at Rochester, 
N. Y. This communication came as a great surprise. 
I had never known Henry Ward Beecher. 

Along with this came one from Elbert Hubbard 
(Plate 11), from Robert G. Ingersoll (Plate 10), from 
R. B. Hayes (Plate 32), and from Robert Moore (Plate 
16), Henry Ward Beecher (Plate 30), and A. Lincoln 
(Plate 33). 

In 1880 the Rev. Mr. Beecher was interviewed 
concerning his opinion of Col. Ingersoll, and Col. 
Ingersoll was interviewed concerning Mr. Beecher at 
the same time, neither one knowing of the interview 
concerning the other. 

Col. Ingersoll's opinion of Mr. Beecher is as 
follows : 

Question: ''What is your opinion of Mr. Beecher?" 
Answer: "I regard him as the greatest man in any pulpit 
of the world. He treated me with a generosity that nothing can 
exceed. He rose grandly above the prejudices supposed to belong 
to his class, and acted as only a man could act without a chain 
upon his brain and only kindness in his heart. 

80 




81 



Plate 30 



"I told him that night that I congratulated the world that it 
had a minister with an intellectual horizon broad enough, and a 
mental sky studded with stars of genius enough, to hold all 
creeds in scorn that shocked the heart of man. I think that Mr. 
Beecher has liberalized the English-speaking people of the world. 

"I do not think he agrees with me. He holds to many things 
that I most passionately deny. But in common, we believe in the 
liberty of thought. 

"My principal objections to orthodox religion are two — 
slavery here and hell hereafter. I do not believe that Mr. Beecher 
on these points can disagree with me. The real difference between 
us is, he says God, I say Nature. The real agreement between us 
is — we both say — Liberty." 

Question: "What is his forte?" 

Answer: "He is of a wonderful poetic temperament. In 
pursuing any course of thought his mind is like a stream flowing 
through the scenery of fairyland. The stream murmurs and 
laughs while the banks grow green and the vines blossom. 

"His brain is controlled by his heart. He thinks in pictures- 
With him logic means mental melody. The discordant is the 
absurd. 

"For years he has endeavored to hide the dungeon of orthodoxy 
with the ivy of imagination. Now and then he puts for a moment 
the leafy curtain aside, and is horrified to see the lizards, snakes, 
basilisks and abnormal monsters of the orthodox age, and then 
he utters a great cry, the protest of a loving, throbbing heart. 

"He is a great thinker, a marvelous orator, and, in my judg- 
ment, greater and grander than any creed of any church. 

"Besides all this, he treated me like a king. Manhood is his 
forte, and I expect to live and die his friend." 

The following is Mr. Beecher's opinion of Mr. 
Ingersoll : 

Question: "What is your opinion of Colonel Ingersoll?" 
Answer: "I do not think there should be any misconception 
as to my motive for indorsing Mr. Ingersoll. I never saw him 
before that night, when I clasped his hand in the presence of an 
assemblage of citizens. Yet I regard him as one of the greatest 
men of this age." 

Question: "Is his influence upon the world good or otherwise?" 
Answer: "I am an ordained clergyman and believe in revealed 
religion. I am, therefore, bound to regard all persons who do not 
believe in revealed religions as in error. But on the broad plat- 
form of human liberty and progress I was bound to give him 

82 



the right hand of fellowship. I would do it a thousand times 
over. I do not know Colonel Ingersoll's religious views precisely, 
but I have a general knowledge of them. He has the same right 
to free thought and free speech that I have. I am not that kind 
of a coward who has to kick a man before he shakes hands with 
him. If I did so I would have to kick the Methodists, Roman 
Catholics, and all other creeds. I will not pitch into any man's 
religion as an excuse for giving my hand. I admire Ingersoll 
because he honestly thinks, and I am sorry that he does not think 
as I do. I never heard so much brilliancy and pith put into a 
two hours' speech as I did on that night. I wish my whole con- 
gregation had been there to hear it. I regret that there are not 
more men like Ingersoll interested in the affairs of the nation. I 
do not wish to be understood as indorsing skepticism in any form." 

Plate 31 

This plate was obtained in my presence and in the 
presence of about five hundred spectators at a public 
slate-writing exhibition held at Plymouth Church in 
Rochester, N. Y. 

Slates were examined by a committee more fully 
described under Plate 26. As is there stated, strangers 
were called from the audience to hold this and many 
other slates while the writing was produced, while the 
slates were many feet distant from the medium and 
in the hands of those who knew nothing about this 
phenomenon. It is impossible, of course, to verify 
the signature of Jeanne d'Arc. Her message is in 
French, and says (translated) : 

"Yours, sincere and faithful, Joan of Arc." 

It is an historical fact that a French maiden of 
this name in 1411 became a great military leader, and 
that under her leadership, French armies were victori- 
ous; that as a result of her efforts, King Charles 7th of 
France, was crowned at Rheims. It is certain that 
she was thereafter captured by the English and burned 
at a stake in 1420. It is claimed that she was inspired 
and under the control of some great military genius by 
whom she was guided and directed. Of this fact there 

83 




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85 



is of course, no proof. It is certain, however, that 
through this peculiar phase of spirit manifestation those 
who have never played a piano, or sung at all, play the 
most difficult music, and sing classical selections, 
in a language which they have never spoken. It is 
certain that under certain conditions, persons speak 
in languages different from their native tongues, and 
of which they have no previous knowledge. It is 
certain that many of the greatest writers and poets 
have written immortal productions while under the 
spell of inspiration. It is certain that some public 
speakers deliver most wonderful public addresses with- 
out any preparation, and without any knowledge of 
what they are to say or of what they have said. In 
fact, some speakers claim that they are not conscious 
of what they are saying during the entire address. 
These truths are mentioned in the Bible. They are 
facts of history, and further evidences of their reality 
are abundant. What then, is inspiration, if not an 
influence which functions in the spirit world, and 
manifests through the physical body? 

The communication signed "J. A. Garfield," speaks 
for itself. If written by ex-president James A. Garfield, 
it is characteristic, and such as would be expected from 
him. At the time this was written, we were just 
entering the great European War, and the importance 
of this terrible conflict was just breaking upon the 
American people. The message, the flag, the signature, 
each bear a silent evidence that ex-president James A. 
Garfield wrote that message to the soul of earth. 

Plate 32 

This plate was received together with Plates 10, 
11, 31, 32 and 33, and under the same conditions de- 
scribed under Plate 16. 

If this is the signature of ex-president Rutherford 
B. Hayes, this message is likewise characteristic. He 

86 



was goveror of Ohio from 1868 to 1876, and President 
of the United States from 1877 to 1881. He died in 
1893, and his body lies buried at Freemont, Ohio. His 
statement is this: 

"The conflict rages wildly. All must strike 
together." * 

This evidently relates to the European War. If 
so, in this, the three ex-presidents of the United States, 
Garfield, Hayes and Lincoln, all view with alarm this 
terrible war now covering Europe with blood. 

Plate 33 

This plate was received by me October, 1917. It 
was written while lying on a table in the bright sunlight 
and while no human hand was within five feet from it. It 
bears mute and unmistakable evidence that it is a 
message from and in the handwriting of Abraham 
Lincoln. It reads as follows: 

"Dear Sir: The deadly foe is on our own shores 
as well as abroad. This country in its drastic action 
w^ill have to strike the enemy with a double-edged 
sword, for the common foe is here as well as abroad. 
The struggle looks like an extended one as to time, but 
victory comes at the price of vigilance. We can win. — 
Truly, A. Lincoln." 

This communication evidently refers to the Euro- 
pean war. It was written while our armies were mobi- 
lizing for the conflict and just as the terrible war cloud 
was overshadowing all American life. 

It is predicted by those in the spirit world that 
forces are now at work, here in America and Canada, 
which will result in an extended conflict, and cause 
much blood to be shed after the European war is 
ended. Whether it is the war between labor and 
capital or a continuation of the struggle which has 
shown itself, I am not informed. It is quite likely 
that "deadly foe" referred to the enemies of our 
government. 

87 




Plate 32 




89 



Plate 33 



I offer in evidence nothing further concerning this 
communication. The peculiar handwriting and the 
subject speak their own message. I have since examined 
a large number of Lincoln's writings and consider this 
a perfect specimen. Any who have sufficient interest 
in the subject should examine and compare for 
themselves. 

Plate 34. 

This plate is shown to illustrate yet another phase 
of the same manifestation of spirit power. It was 
written by a materialized hand in my presence, and 
delivered to me as a message for me. Perhaps it is. I do 
not know. I have never found anyone who could even 
guess what language is used, what is written or who 
wrote it. An examination will disclose that it is written 
with remarkable precision. I have received other 
communications written in the same language, with 
the same characters. This however, is the best speci- 
men I have. I have seen messages signed "Dion, 354 
B. C." Among the greatest teachers in spirit life are 
ancient and learned spirits who have been in spirit life 
many hundred years. I have had given to me secret 
masonic signs and symbols, and information known 
only to well informed members of the ancient craft, by 
materialized masonic brethren. 

However difficult it may be for minds to accept 
these facts, science has established the facts of materiali- 
zation. I have seen it many times. Scientifically it 
cannot be denied. 

A Communication Written to Me, 
not by Mortal Hands 

"My Dear Soul on Earth: I am so pleased to find 
a way of communion to the mortals of earth that my 
soul seems to sway in joy. How can God, so termed, be 
reconciled to man? When man is as eager to study the 
spiritual powers and forces of the universe as he is to 

90 



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91 



Plate 34 



study the material; when he seeks to more fully under- 
stand these as he does in material ways, that such 
knowledge is for his or her benefit, development and 
enlightment, he and they will not blind their spiritual 
vision. They then will not close the avenues of 
spiritual light, but knowing, they will naturally say, I 
am more and more reconciled to the ever-prevailing 
manifestations in works and the divine will of God. 
Thus the more you understand your own spirit, and this 
great and vast universal open message between these 
two seeming worlds, this power of knowing that beyond 
death there is the purest love, the greatest kindness, 
charity to fill the cup to overflowing, when you have 
realized these conditions, then you will have found the 
gateway open through which the unseen souls may be 
given strength to meet you face to face. And thus 
you will become reconciled to all prevailing conditions 
of this seeming lifeless yet ever restless principles under 
which you are guided from day to day even though you 
know it not. Now and here, you seek the manifesta- 
tion of this divine personality of God's children who 
dwell in the realms of space. If so, we pray with you 
to God that He may send your soul's desire which is 
filled with the rulings of his kingdoms of the Universal. 
Here you are in the presence of the God principles 
through which can come the dear souls from on high. 
Make the way clear between you and that principle 
termed God. Open the Godward windows of your 
souls and make the pathway between you and your 
dear ones luminous with the knowledge of this presence 
and its divine influences. Success then becomes your 
victory for all time. Your spiritual director from the 
great tribunal of unseen. You have my personal 
prayers and benediction. — Rev. W. Spencer." 

The thoughts contained in the foregoing document 
show to us, from the "Tribunal of the Unseen, "con- 
firmation of the facts known to all thoughtful persons 
today. The sordid scramble for dollars has closed the 
"Godward Windows" of the soul of most men and 

92 



opened the flood gates of selfishness and avarice. Go 
where you will, except among those who have made 
special study of occult subjects, and you find most 
persons not only ignorant, but indifferent concerning 
this vital subject. To show them evidences of spirit 
life or return, is to be ridiculed by ignorance and dis- 
appointed by their indifference. The poorest of the 
poor in God's Kingdom will some day be some of those 
richest of the rich in this world. Their wealth and its 
power will be gone, and they, dwarfed in spirit, will be 
poor and helpless. 

"Godliness with contentment is a great gain: for 
we brought nothing into the world, neither can we 
carry anything out; but having food and covering, we 
shall be therewith content. But they that desire to be 
rich, fall into a temptation and a snare, and many 
foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruc- 
tion and perdition. For the love of money is a root of 
all kinds of evil; which some reaching after have been 
led astray from the faith and have pierced themselves 
through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of 
God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, 
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." 

Where are the Godly men? Only on the mountain 
crests of spiritual thought with faces turned heaven- 
ward, with mind and soul radiating sympathy, love, 
and aspiration toward the source and soul of life. 

In the valley below, we hear the denominational 
quibbling between the Big-Endians who are certain 
that all eggs must be broken at the large end as a 
saving grace, while the Small-Endians are equally 
certain that all eggs must be broken at the small end. 
The Tweedle-dees and Tweedle-dums, heretics and 
skeptics are names born of theological trappings of 
men. Some day the misguided souls will know that 
their time, energy and substance have been spent for 
ends which have nothing to do with the eternal harmony 
of the spheres toward which we all must move. All 

93 



men are our brothers. One law is for all. In the melt- 
ing pot of eternity will men stand face to face with 
themselves, and be known as they are known. 



The War — Its Primary Causes 

A terrible war overshadows the world today. 
This war is upon us because combinations of men are 
and have been seeking to gain special privileges for 
themselves — privileges which they are not willing that 
others should enjoy. 

In spite of all our boasted Christian civilization, 
the law of the jungle prevails in our commercial life, 
and these frightful wars are but a continuation of the 
brutal claim that might makes right, otherwise termed 
the law of the survival of the fittest. In truth it is 
the law of the jungle. 

As a people, we profess to be a Christian nation. 
All must admit that some of the nations involved in 
this terrible slaughter have been praying to God in the 
name of Christ on Sunday, and planning destruction of 
their fellow-men the other six days in the week. I 
think my words worthy of belief, when I say that if 
real Christianity had been the real religion of all 
nations, no war would have happened. But real sym- 
pathy and real charity for our fellow-man because he 
is our fellow-man, is a rare virtue, rather than a uni- 
versal conception of our fraternal and religious duty to 
our brother-man. 

And then the orthodox Christian moral and re- 
ligious credit department is not one which makes for 
satisfactory results. I am persuaded that any religious 
system which teaches that mankind may sin on credit, 
and then file a petition in bankruptcy, and be "washed 
whiter than snow" a few minutes before transition, is 
not one calculated to impress thoughtful men as 
worthy of respect. 

94 



Until the "God ward Windows" of the souls of men 
are opened, and the glorious sunlight of truth and of 
knowledge is allowed to come in, wars will become more 
terrible, men will become more dwarfed, selfish and 
cruel. 

Only to the great spirit of light, truth, justice and 
sympathy for our fellow-men, can suffering humanity 
turn for help and consolation. Only as we have a 
regeneration of the soul, can we hope for peace in soul 
and body, peace among nations, industrial peace, com- 
mercial peace, and lasting peace which will afford men 
the greatest opportunity to enjoy this life and to 
prepare themselves for the next. 

Suicide and Drunkenness 

A drunken father of seven small children, a hus- 
band of a weak and poverty-stricken wife, has just 
committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid. What 
is his condition in spirit life today? 

A drunkard in the body, in spirit life is still a 
drunkard. The unquenchable desire for drink is the 
result of physical changes which derange and debauch 
his astral body for it, like a great page upon which the 
excesses of physical life have burned their cruel scars, 
still craves that which it cannot obtain and suffers with 
a thirst that cannot be satisfied. Such spirits seek to 
gratify these carnal desires in the filth and atmosphere 
of the saloon, and by obsessing men and women who are 
subject to their influence. Thus the curse of soul- 
destroying, drunkard-making materials which men 
make and sell for worldly gain, is blasting and damning 
the body and soul of poor weak men and women in 
this world and the next. The one who tempts and the 
one who yields must pay the penalty in pain and re- 
morse. This poor suicide must look back upon his 
suffering wife and helpless children as the pangs of his 
own conscience comfort him. Let no man think that 
suicide can relieve him from the troubles which cause 

95 



him to shrink from the duties left undone. Suicide 
makes progress in spirit life more difficult and the 
sufferings in the mind are increased. No one can 
defeat the laws of nature, for nature is the changeless 
ruler of man and his destinies. 

Prayer — Its Uses and Abuses 

The following communication is an inspired address 
delivered at a public meeting by a personal friend and 
acquaintance of many years. The subject of prayer, 
its uses and abuses, its objects and its ends, has been 
so much discussed and should be of such vital interest 
to all that I have submitted the following for the care- 
ful consideration of readers. 

The subject "Inspiration" is discussed under Plate 
3 1 . That spirit bodies take possession of physical bodies 
and use them through which to speak, write and do 
other things cannot be denied. Those who have 
possessed higher spiritual attainments are better pre- 
pared to instruct the children of earth. Hence the 
reason why all are requested to carefully read the 
following : 

The following lecture was delivered by Josephine 
Brace, Sunday, May 27, 1917. 

Prayer 

"Once again we have the privilege of meeting you 
face to face; once again we bring to you our mes- 
sage, just a fragment gathered from the vast universe 
of truth. 

"This question has come upon various occasions 
to the mind of man in his prayer, what is prayer? 
Is it necessary for us to pray? Who answers prayer, 
and how? Perhaps I may be able to help you in this 
thought; perhaps my little light which I have gathered 
since leaving the body may be of assistance to you. 
How few men in the mortal body today realize the 

96 



meaning of prayer; how many prayers are sent out 
merely words, merely sound; sent out into the universe 
not of the soul, not of the mind, merely the words 
some other man hath spoken. Man, do you realize 
that when you attempt to pray it is well to go into the 
silence and. send your spirit out into the universe and 
reach higher and higher in thought? Man, who 
knows so little of God, man whose mind cannot con- 
ceive of God, attempts to speak to him. Clothed in 
sin, with all his thoughts about him, material, even in 
thoughts of jealousy and hate, he will attempt to 
speak to God, the spirit of perfection, the spirit of 
all life, all power, your creator. You attempt to 
live in sin, you attempt to judge your brother man, 
you attempt to wrong him, and then before you retire, 
you fall upon your knees and pray. Oh, man, do you 
realize what it means to do this? Do you know that it 
is not the spoken prayer that reaches the highest 
pinnacle of light, but it is the soul prayer, it is the 
unspoken prayer, going out into the universe right to 
the great unknown spirit of love, that unknowable 
something far beyond man's mortal mind, that life 
of which you are a part, of which you are an expression 
and which dwells within your souls. And you would 
attempt to speak, attempt to ask a favor of a pure 
spirit ! 

"Let me tell you how to pray. First, go into the 
silence; fill your consciousness with pure and holy 
thoughts, not earthly thoughts. Forget sin, forget all 
that is of mortal man. See in the recesses of your own 
spirit, find within your souls, God, and speak to Him. 
Then speak to Him, not with the coarse, spoken 
words of man, that language cannot speak to God, but 
the soul can commune with God, the soul can reach 
the higher realms if you make it pure enough. Speak 
with your soul to Him who is your Creator, to Him 
who gives you Life. Speak to Him in silence, in all the 
glorious spiritual light in which it is possible for you 
to illuminate your consciousness. And as surely as 

97 



that thought is sent out to the highest realms of light, 
just so surely will your consciousness become illum- 
inated with this higher light. And then the minister- 
ing angels, the servants of God, His pure spirits, will 
minister unto you, will bear to you holy thoughts and 
holy words which no language can express, for no man 
hath tongue pure enough to speak it. And your soul 
will know it, will feel it, will have a realization of His 
presence. For you are His child. You are temples of 
the living God; and yet you walk in sin and darkness, 
expecting to be forgiven, expecting to have all things 
which you have done that are not of spirit wiped 
away. How can you feel it? Oh, man, remove the 
mortal mind for just one minute and think, think of 
God! Pure spirit. Lay aside all things which come 
through mortal mind, and think. Use the wondrous 
power of thought of which I have spoken to you many 
times. Cleanse your souls with pure thought. These 
are the things which live; these are the things which 
move and ascend as they are sent from the mind of 
man. 

"Listen while I tell you something. Man is com- 
ing into this wondrous realization, man is awakening 
from his deep sleep and sees the dawn of a new day, 
and things which are of spirit, things which are beyond 
the mortal mind of man, come upon him with so much 
force that he cannot comprehend it. When we say 
that it is possible for you to make yourselves perfect 
man thinks of his mortal body. Why? Because all 
mind about him is deeply saturated with mortal 
thought. Privileged are you to know as you stand 
upon the brink of a new day, as you see the sun rise 
upon the new day when man shall know himself and 
serve his brother; when man shall reach out, not to a 
God upon a throne who would cast him into torment, 
but to a God of pure spirit, a God of perfection, a God 
which no man can comprehend with mortal mind. 

"God hath no wrath, hath no hate, no revenge. 

98 



That is mortal. How can you believe that God thinks 
the things which are born of mortal mind? Impossible. 
God is all that is perfect; there is nothing born of 
mortal man which lives in God. Know this, man will 
presume to go from his earthly thoughts down upon 
his knees and ask that he may be given power to rule, 
that he may be given power to win the victory over his 
brother. That man may be forgiven, but how can he 
speak these words? It is impossible for him to com- 
mune with God. He must purify himself and make 
his power of thought so holy that he can send out 
only pure spiritual thought. This is prayer. And it is 
answered. And they who bring the message of light 
to you are His ministering angels, who have walked 
upon the mortal plane of thought. 

"Rise; we can begin to rise now. Why prepare 
for another world, why prepare to go to heaven? 
Why, you are just as much a spirit now, just as much 
an angel now as you will ever be. Are you a dark 
angel, or are you a bright and glorious spirit, brighten- 
ing the way of your brother with a kind thought, with 
one little word? Are you one who goes about so 
selfishly that you cannot see the need of a kind word> 
of a helping hand? Think of these things, brothers 
and sisters, as you stand on the threshold of light, 
privileged to know that there is a life beyond the grave; 
to know that they can return and speak to you; that 
you can feel the touch of those who have lived and who 
have gone before, and hear the little love words and 
little love thoughts expressed in your own tongue. 
The spirit would speak to you through the tongue of 
man. You are privileged; there are many souls cry- 
ing out for the proof of this. And I will say to you 
that much will be expected of you, for great has been 
your opportunity. Walking by your side daily and 
hourly are those whom you have loved and who love 
you still. They never forget, the spirit never forgets 
love, never forgets anything which is pure and godly 
and spiritual. 

99 



"But man in his resurrection will rise higher and 
higher, and leave behind those things which are born 
of mortal mind, things which cannot exist in the light 
of pure spirit. Living within your consciousness is a 
spark of His reflection. Have you so darkened it by 
hate, jealousy and all things born of mortal mind that 
it can never come forth to show its light? 

"Why not begin tonight to purify your soul, to 
build around you those vibrations which will in time 
enable you to behold the glorious spirit? How I wish 
I could present to you so that you could understand 
it clearly, those things which are of spirit, that of which 
you are a part. Know that now when all your earth- 
plane is filled with discord, is filled with murder, there 
are souls which are leaving the body in darkness, leav- 
ing the body when it was not time; souls crying to 
return to their homes, cast out of the body by man's 
hand. Why? Because mortal mind is so well nour- 
ished and well fed, because mortal man hath been fed 
upon sin, because mortal mind is so strong. 

"And now, as all things seem so discordant and 
you are filled with worry, know that it is the dawn of a 
new light that is upon you, when all men shall realize 
that they are God's handiwork. When all men will 
know that it is not well to feed the mortal mind. It is 
mortal mind which is rampant upon the earthplane 
today. Have you been helping these mortal thoughts? 
They know not what they do; it is the vibrations of 
mortal mind about your earthplane. 

"But the spirit is rising to express the eternal 
truth. The spirit rises. God's holy light will illum- 
inate the souls of all men. Today you witness the 
dawn of His day; when the Christ spirit shall appear 
to your eyes, when each man and woman shall live a 
life which speaks of Him. 

"And know that you are privileged to be a part 
of this wondrous plan; you have just a little more 
than your brother; you have just a little more knowl- 

100 



edge. Why keep it to yourself, selfish man? Help to 
put sunshine in their souls, help to awaken within man 
the realization of spirit." 

Faith is an Erroneous Foundation for 
Spiritual Progress 

Theologians tell us that we must be saved by faith. 
What is faith? Faith begins where knowledge ends. 
Were it otherwise there would be no room, no need for 
faith. If knowledge about anything is advisable, why 
not about all things pertaining to spiritual life? If 
facts are obtainable, why not obtain them? By what 
right or authority have a few men sought to conceal, 
lock and bar behind a curtain of myth and mystery 
those vital truths of nature's spiritual unfoldment by 
which man is made strong and intelligent and free. To 
deny man or woman the privilege of knowledge and 
require of him to substitute faith in its place, does not 
tend to help him. So far as I am able to understand, 
faith is but a substitute for knowledge. It is a bridge 
which attempts to span the chasm of mystery of which 
one end rests upon a mistaken sense of religious duty, 
while the other rests upon the uncertain quicksands of 
the ever changing opinions of men. 

Until man's religious opinions are based upon an 
understanding and recognition of the immutable and 
changeless laws of nature, and that he is a part of 
nature and controlled by its laws, he will continue to 
be the object of fears and emotions. He will neglect 
to inform and satisfy his own mind. He will con- 
tinue to rely upon the opinions of others. My hope 
is that all may understand and believe that knowledge 
is power, that the lack of it is weakness, that knowl- 
edge is the key to peace and spiritual progress. 

Comments Concerning Death 

From my investigations I am prepared to express 
the belief that each individual manifests life upon three 

101 



planes, viz.: the physical, astral, and spirit planes of 
existence. 

1. The Physical Body, within which the astral 
and the spirit bodies dwell, proceeds from and returns 
to the earth and air. At the change which we call 
death, the astral and spirit body leaves the physical 
body. The physical body returns to its primary ele- 
ments, but the astral and spirit body continue to live 
though invisible to mortal eye. 

2. The Astral Body, after the mortal death, con- 
tinues to manifest, and retain personal identity until 
it, in its turn ceases. But the spirit continue to live 
and progress. 

3. The Spirit Body, proceeds from the source of 
all life and action, and functions through individualized 
intelligence. 

The first two bodies are not immortal for they are 
not of the spirit. But the third is of the spirit — inde- 
structible and immortal. 

Thus death of the physical body is but one step 
in the evolution of man from the lower to the higher 
expressions of life. 

The roses bloom in the springtime, then they 
fade and fall. The verdant leaves of flower and tree, 
each in their turn fulfil their mission, and then they, too, 
must fade and fall to earth. So in the springtime of 
mortal life, the flowers of hope and animation grow 
and bloom and the illusions and dreams of every 
passing hour fill childhood with joy and anticipation. 
Thus we live and run our race throughout the gauntlet 
of life from the cradle to the grave. Then there comes 
a time to one and all, when the shadows lengthen, the 
footsteps falter, the eyes grow dim, and weight of years 
weakens the flesh and oppresses the soul. Then at last, 
in nature's plan, the earth and air again receive that 
which they have given, and mortal life is ended. The life 
of the rose is not essential to the life of the bush. The 
life of the leaf and flower is not essential to the life of the 

102 



tree, nor is the life of the body essential to the life of 
the Spirit which dwells within. So, when the roses 
fade, and the autumn leaves die and fall, and the mortal 
body returns to the primary conditions from whence it 
came, each obeys an immutable law of nature, nothing 
more and nothing less. 

Thus may we mourn the mortal separation from 
our loved ones when the grave forever conceals them 
from mortal eyes. Thus may we know that no special 
dispensation of grief has been visited upon us or upon 
our loved ones. Thus in the presence of mortal death, 
when the angels come to welcome them on the other 
shore, may reason and knowledge sustain us, and make 
us secure and certain concerning this fateful hour and 
that which follows. 

Why should man bemoan the hour when the 
spirit shall take its flight? 

The sadness of mental separation must bring its 
pain. But if we can learn to forget ourselves and then 
to know that mortal death is spiritual gain, and that 
real life only begins beyond the hour of mortal death; 
then may we meet the last hour with confidence and 
courage. Thus when emancipated from ignorance and 
fear, may we stand serene and fearless in the presence 
of death. 

I quote from a most prophetic and beautiful psalm : 

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with 
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 

These poetic and beautiful words are eloquent 
expressions of a spiritual truth. Their significance is 
worthy of serious thought. "Thy rod and thy staff 
comfort me." Of course no one can think that "thy 
rod and thy staff" refers other than to a spiritual and 
mental condition. It must refer to the knowledge of 
spiritual laws, and its power to strengthen and sustain 
in the hour of death. Thus may I say unto all in the 
light of the established truths concerning life beyond 

103 



the grave, that knowledge obtained through investiga- 
tion has driven from me all fears of death. And so I 
may truthfully say, "Though I pass through the valley 
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Thy rod 
and thy staff they comfort me." 

Conclusion 

This volume contains but a small part of the infor- 
mation concerning the subject which I have acquired 
during my years of investigation. Be that as it may, 
I think myself justified in concluding that the following 
propositions have been established by the evidence 
hereinbefore submitted. 

First — That all communications written upon 
slates, pictures of which are herewith shown, were pro- 
duced under conditions which preclude the possibility 
of the intervention of any human agency. 

Second — That there are at least eighteen distinct 
and different types of handwriting shown. 

Third — That the writing and the signatures are in 
the main, genuine, and characteristic of those who 
wrote them. 

Fourth — That the love and the knowledge of this 
life continue with the life in Spirit. 

Fifth — That communication between life in the 
body and life in the Spirit is proved beyond reasonable 
doubt. 

I have finished my task. It is my hope that in the 
presence of the grave all may see the star of hope ascend- 
ant above the useless and cruel fears which in the past 
have clothed the grave with anguish and with terror. 

It is my hope that the facts which I have presented 
may lead sorrowing hearts to cease mourning for their 
dead, and to know that the day is fast approaching when 
the broken heart ties of the flesh will be reunited in 
that beautiful home beyond the dark shadows of care 
and pain. 

104 



'So live, that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan which moves 
To that Mysterious Realm, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go, not like the quarry slave at night, 
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave 
Like one who wraps the draperies of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 



/VMlsu-u^ )?ZiuAS t __ 



105 



Index of Names 

Anthony, Susan B Plates 7, 16, 20 

Adams, Henry " 5, 25 

Beecher, Henry Ward " 30 

Bissell, Charles " 6, 8, 12, 13 

Boult, Charles E " 5 

Bull, Ole " 27 

Burr, Franklin " 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 19, 29 

Burr, William " 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 29 

"C. G." " 28 

Carey, Ida " 3, 4, 5, 15 

Chapman, Mary Reed " 18 

Chase, Elizabeth " 4, 18, 21, 24 

Chase, Ella " 18, 23, 24 

D'Arc, Jeanne " 31 

Garfield, James A " 31 

Hayes, R. B " 32 

Hilton, V. R " 3, 6, 13, 23, 24 

Hubbard, Elbert " 5, 11 

Huffcutt, Ernest W " 7, 17, 19, 24 

Huggins, Winifred " 19, 21 

Ingersoll, R. G " 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 

Irene " 19 

Joslyn, Roxie " 26 

Lincoln, A " 33 

Mansfield, Josie " 27 

McCarthy, Tim " 27 

Mills, Isabelle E " 27 

Moore, Arthur W " 13, 27 

Moore, Robert " 22 

Mumbach, George " 16 

Mumbach, Jacob " 2, 16, 17, 20, 21 

Mumbach, Michael " 6, 13, 29 

Mundy, C. B " 27 

Neelin, Ida " 27 

Ogden, David " 21 

Parry, Ruby " 27 

Perkins, J. B " 13, 19 

106 



Post, Amy Plates 20 

Raines, George " 3, 7, 19 

Reed, William " 13, 23, 25, 29. 

Riffle, William C " 5 

Rowe, W. E " 27 

Seitz, F. C " 27 

Simonds, Charles W " 6, 13, 23, 29 

Wescott, Wayne " 13 

Willis, James " 27 

Wood, Enos... " 26 

Young, Charles " 16 



107 



